By:Matthew Conyers 😐 Contract Reporter
Glastonbury High graduate Donn Cabral ran 8:25.81 to finish ninth in this morning’s Olympic 3,000-meter steeplechase final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto ran 8:03.28 to take home the gold medal and set a Olympic record. Evan Jager made history for the U.S., running 8:04.28 for the silver. Ezekiel Kemboi, who won the gold in 2004 and 2012, got the bronze with a time of 8:08.47.
Jager is the first American man to win a medal in the steeplechase since Brian Diemer won bronze in 1984 in Los Angeles. Jager’s medal was the best for American in the event since 1954.
Cabral ran 8:25.91 in the final four years ago in London. He led for portions of that race before finishing eighth.
Kenya has won the last nine gold medals in the steeplechase.
It was the first time in 80 years that three Americans ran in the final. Hillary Bor ran 8:22.74 for eighth.
Cabral, 26, entered the final with the third fastest time in Monday’s three qualifying rounds.
In his heat, Cabral ran at the back of the pack for the first few laps before he moved up late to take the third automatic qualifier with a time of 8:21.96. Bor and Jager won their qualifying heats in 8:25.01 and 8:25.86.
At the U. S. Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Ore., on July 8, Cabral ran 8:26.37 to finish third and make the team, but he wasn’t content with his performance.
After training at altitude in Flagstaff, Ariz., before the trials for six weeks, Cabral felt ready for the biggest races of his career. He was healthy and prepared for the demands of elite racing. But at the trials, he needed a fall by Stanley Kenebei to make the Olympics.
