Emma Coburn Breaks American Record in Steeplechase

Emma Coburn Breaks American Record in Steeplechase

In her first steeplechase of 2016, Emma Coburn threw down an American record run with a third-place finish in 9:10.73 at the Prefontaine Classic Saturday in

May 28, 2016 by Taylor Dutch
Emma Coburn Breaks American Record in Steeplechase
In her first steeplechase of 2016, Emma Coburn threw down an American record run with a third-place finish in 9:10.73 at the Prefontaine Classic Saturday in Eugene. 

Coburn placed third behind Ruth Jebet who closed in a nail-biter finish against runner-up Hyvin Kiyeng. Jebet finished in 8:59.97 and Kiyeng finished in 9:00.01. Each athlete claimed a record in their respective continent or country of origin. Fellow American Leah O'Connor also had a standout performance with a 9:18.85 finishing time, which puts her No. 3 all-time in the U.S.


Coburn’s performance breaks training partner Jenny Simpson’s American record of 9:12.50. Her previous personal best of 9:11.42, which was run in Glasgow in 2014, is faster than Simpson’s mark but was not ratified because Coburn failed to take a drug test following the performance in Scotland. 

Coburn’s performance on Saturday was ratified after a drug test and now stands as the official American record in the steeplechase. The steeplechaser was eager to share the good news with her fans over Twitter following the race in Eugene.