Rooks Advances to 3000m Steeplechase Olympic Final Wednesday

PARIS - BYU track and field alum Kenneth Rooks placed second in his heat to qualify for the Olympic 3000m steeplechase final Wednesday afternoon at the Stade de France. 

Full Results

Rooks ran 8:24.95 in his Olympic debut, advancing as the lone American from the semifinals of the event. The 2023 NCAA champion maintained postion in the lead pack. The third and final heat went a conservative 69 second first lap. Rooks held position in third as the pace pushed up in the final three laps. The professional Nike athlete advanced to the final scheduled for 1:40 p.m. MDT on Wednesday. 

Kenneth Rooks gets the Q! 🇺🇸

The U.S. champion will be the lone American to move on to the men's 3k steeplechase final, clocking 8:24.95 for second in a tactical race.

World record holder Lamecha Girma 🇪🇹 crossed the line first in 8:23.89.#PARIS2024

📸: USA TODAY pic.twitter.com/lrAB8QysZX

— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 5, 2024

 

Current BYU athlete James Corrigan competed in the event as well, running 8:36.67 across the finish. Corrigan placed tenth in the first heat, but did not advance to the final. The distance runner from Los Angeles, California concluded an historic track and field season. Corrigan’s prior personal best at the end of the 2023 season was 8:52.54. In his 2024 season, he became the Big 12 Champion in the event, running an 8:29.24. He placed ninth at the NCAA Outdoor Championships, then two weeks later took third at the U.S. Trials. Corrigan then qualified for Team USA running 8:13.87 at the Penn Relays Summer Showcase. 

Up Next
Whittni Morgan is set to compete in the women's 5000m final Monday afternoon at 1:15 p.m. MDT. Courtney Wayment will race in the women's 3000m steeplechase Tuesday at 1:14 p.m. MDT. Rooks will compete in the men's 3000m steeplechase Wednesday at 1:40 p.m. MDT. Find all BYU-specific Olympic information here.