The steeplechase, as the 2016 Rio Olympics taught us, can be a grueling race, and sometimes accidents happen, like Uganda’s Jacob Araptany stumbling right into a barrier.
Steeplechase runner stops to fix her shoe, finishes with 2nd-fastest time in the world
It’s incredible to see any runner finish a steeplechase, but Kenya’s Celliphine Chespol took it to another level during the Pre Classic on Friday. On the penultimate lap, as the group made the water jump, Chespol had to stop to fix her right shoe while two other runners went past her.
Chespol, who was in third at this point, got back in stride and paced herself until the final lap, where she surged right back into first like it was nothing. The IAAF world record for women’s 3000m steeplechase is 8:52.78, set by Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet back in August.
Chespol finished the race with an 8:58.78, giving her the second-fastest time ever. If Chespol didn’t have to fix her shoe, we probably could have seen a new world record get set. But the fact that she still won after her shoe mishap is even more mind-blowing.
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