2019 World Athletics Championships – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase

Kenya considers the steeplechase to be their national sport. With defending champion Conseslus Kipruto, they qualified four to the final. USA, with two Kenyan ex-pats and Ethiopia also qualified all three of their entrants. This was only the second major championship since 2007 without perennial medalist Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad. Kipruto almost didn't make it. A stress fracture in April would sideline him for months, but he build a primitive swimming pool at his home in Mosoriot Kenya to do aqua training until he could run again.[2]

While they are a neighboring long distance running rival, Ethiopia does not have the same successful track record in the steeplechase, but were encouraged by Getnet Wale winning the 2019 IAAF Diamond League. Here the Ethiopians took to the lead. Chala Beyo took the point first with Wale and Kipruto pushing the pace out front. After two laps, Wale took over. Beyo would not finish. Starting slower, Lamecha Girma ran in the middle of the pack for a while before moving forward to take over leading duties for the team. The fast pace dropped off many of the runners, the lead pack dwindling to the entire Kenyan team, Hillary Bor, Djilali Bedrani, returning silver medalist Soufiane El Bakkali, Wale and Girma. With two laps to go, Kipruto moved out to the lead and looked around for his teammates to join him, but help did not come forward. Instead Wale moved ahead again and El Bakkali planted himself on Kipruto's shoulder. As the pace increased, the other three Kenyan's fell off the back of the pack. Bedrani and Bor were the next to go. It was a four man group at the bell with Girma on the tail end. Through the penultimate turn, El Bakkali took the lead. For most of the last decade, the steeplechase was decided by a devastating move off the first barrier on the backstretch, usually by Ezekiel Kemboi. It is where Kipruto won the race in 2017 and the Olympics in 2016. Here, coming off the barrier, Kipruto gained a couple of feet on Wale but El Bakkali remained in command. Instead, Girma ran around the group and into the lead. Kipruto tried to react, passing El Bakkali over the water jump. Wale had no answer for the speed and the medalists were decided. Going into the final barrier, Girma opened up two metres on Kipruto. Coming off the barrier, Kipruto launched into a sprint gaining slightly on Girma. Desperately looking for the finish Girma dipped a little early, Kipruto dipped like a seasoned professional hurdler. In the photo finish, Kipruto took the gold by .01. 18 year old Girma got the consolation prize of the Ethiopian national record that 19 year old Wale had improved twice already in 2019.

Before the competition records were as follows:[3]

World record	Saif Saaeed Shaheen (QAT)	7:53.63	Brussels, Belgium	3 September 2004
Championship record	Ezekiel Kemboi (KEN)	8:00.43	Berlin, Germany	18 August 2009
World Leading	Soufiane El Bakkali (MAR)	8:04.82	Monaco	12 July 2019
African Record	Brimin Kiprop Kipruto (KEN)	7:53.64	Monaco	22 July 2011
Asian Record	Saif Saaeed Shaheen (QAT)	7:53.63	Brussels, Belgium	3 September 2004
North, Central American and Caribbean record	Evan Jager (USA)	8:00.45	Paris, France	4 July 2015
South American Record	Wander do Prado Moura (BRA)	8:14.41	Mar del Plata, Argentina	22 March 1995
European Record	Mahiedine Mekhissi (FRA)	8:00.09	Paris, France	6 July 2013
Oceanian record	Peter Renner (NZL)	8:14.05	Koblenz, West Germany	29 August 1984

The standard to qualify automatically for entry was 8:29.00.[4]

The event schedule, in local time (UTC+3), was as follows:[5]