Jager claims historic bronze in London

Evan Jager created history for American distance running by becoming the first US man to win a medal in the steeplechase at the World Championships in London on Tuesday night, the 28-year-old Illinois native coming home third in 8:15.33 in a race won by Olympic champion Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya.

“I’m a little disappointed I didn’t come away with the win but happy I stayed in the top three and got a medal,” Jager said afterward. “I’m a little bummed.”

The early pace was slow, the athletes virtually jogging through the first kilometer in 2:51.81, which left all 15 athletes bunched together. With just more than a mile to run, Jager finally broke, powering to the front and injecting a huge surge.

“I wanted to make it hard,” he said. “We thought it was going to go slow the first kilometer and we said if that happens it’s better for me to get rid of guys by going hard with three or four laps to go to make it a strength race.”

“I was like: Oh my gosh, I hope I have enough left,” Jager said, recalling his thoughts up the home stretch as he hung on for bronze.

Kipruto took gold in 8:14.12 ahead of Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco to maintain Kenya’s stranglehold on the event, with Jager taking the first ever world medal in the event by an American.

For a full story on Jager’s feat and to watch his reaction, check out Runner’s World.

Evan Finishes Sixth in Steeple Final

After leading part of the race Monday in Beijing at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships, Evan slipped back to sixth place over the final 300 meters. The American record holder left the track disappointed, but appreciates all of the support from his friends, family and fans and looks forward to getting back out on the track soon.

Extremely disappointed in my race yesterday. It really hurts to work so hard for something all year only to have it come crashing down on you. I didn't show the potential that I had earlier this year, which makes the defeat even tougher. I'm so proud of all of my @bowermantc teammates for how they ran yesterday. I love these people and I'm happy I get to share the good times and the bad times with such great people.

A photo posted by Evan Jager (@evanjager) on Aug 24, 2015 at 8:47pm PDT

2015 World Champs Update: Evan Advances to Final

A very conservative early pace led to a furious dash to the finish, but Evan succeeded on finishing top three, automatically advancing to the finals at the IAAF World Outdoor Championships in Beijing, China.

Evan led a few different moments in the race, always looking in control and only shifting gears over the final 70 meters of the race, passing two runners and finishing a half step behind Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto. 

Finishing second in 8:41.51, Evan now shifts his focus to the 3,000m steeplechase final, which takes place Monday morning (in the United States) at 9:15am EST. 

Full Results | IAAF World Championship Website

Letsrun caught up with Evan afterward, reviewing his race, the close finish and the final ahead.

When and How to Watch Evan in Beijing

The IAAF World Outdoor Championships are here and Evan is ready to race. Below are a few details to keep in your back pocket as you go about cheering on Evan in Beijing. 

Use the hashtag #JagerTime to cheer Evan on!

Prelims (Heat 1)

Date: Friday, August 21
Time: 10:35pm EST
Where to Watch: 7:30pm-1:00am EST on Universal Sports
Competition: Evan is the top entry in the field, with only Kenyan Conseslus Kipruto in the same ballpark from a seasonal best standpoint. Evan's 8:00.45 is well ahead of Kipruto's seasonal best of 8:05.20, while the third best runner in the field has only run 8:16.54 this season. The top three finishers automatically advance to the final. Fellow Americans Daniel Huling and Donn Cabral are in the second and third heat, respectively.

Final

Date: Monday, August 24
Time: 9:15am EST
Where to Watch: 7:00am - 10:00am EST on Universal Sports
Competition: After the women's 10,000m final and before the men's 100m final, the crowd should be buzzing with excitement for the men's 3,000m steeplechase final. Reigning World Champion Ezekiel Kemboi and fellow Kenyan Jairus Birech are considered Evan's chief competition (assuming everyone qualifies for the final). Kemboi has the big-race success, while Birech has proven to be the world's best steepler the past two seasons. Neither is unbeatable and the battle is set.

Evan in the Wall Street Journal

As the IAAF World Outdoor Championships near, media attention picks up. Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal published a very nice piece on Evan and fellow American steeple star Emma Coburn. The United States distance core is strong heading over to Beijing and Evan and Emma are two of the strongest medal favorites. 

If you have a few minutes, give it a read!

Can U.S. Track and Field Finally Go the Distance? (Wall Street Journal)