Kemboi, had announced his retirement on Wednesday after finishing third in the 3000 metres steeplechase race, behind Evan Jager of U.S. and Kenya’s Conseslus Kipruto who won gold.
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Ending a 32-year medal drought in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, American record holder Evan Jager (Algonquin, Illinois) ran a masterful race to earn silver and become the first American man to medal in the event since Brian Diemer in 1984.
Evan Jager of the US won silver, while the bronze went to France’s Mahiedine Mekhissi on appeal, after reigning two-time Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya was disqualified for having stepped off the track.
The victory was the first time in a major competition that Kipruto had defeated Kenya’s double Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi, who announced his retirement after grabbing a bronze.
Another Kenyan, Conseslus Kipruto, (8:03.28) set an Olympic Record in taking gold. The 15-year-old missed out on the final. “The happiness has hit me but anything outside of that hasn’t yet”.
Yet coming off the final turn of the Olympic final, Biwott charged past three runners to claim Kenya’s first steeplechase gold medal. Kemboi had settled for bronze 8:08.47 but Mekhissi-Benabbad, who came in fourth in 8:11.52, was awarded the bronze after appeal.
Ezekiel Kemboi (L) talks to USA’s Evan Jager after competing in the Men’s 3000m Steeplechase Final at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games on August 17, 2016.
On the soccer front, Saturday’s gold-medal match will be between Brazil (who bested Honduras Wednesday) and Germany (who won over Nigeria Wednesday).
Hillary Bor wound up eighth for the Americans by running a personal-best time. Shortly after his race in Rio, the 34-year-old confirmed that he will leave the sport after winning two Olympic and four world championship titles. The Kenyan looked back at Jager, then showboated and played up to the Olympic Stadium crowd.
“It was a lot of years of hard work and day dreaming about the moment all coming true”, Jager said. In other hoops quartefinals, Spain beat France, 92-67, to bring to an end Tony Parker’s Olympic career and Australia beat Lithuania, 90-64.
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Jager led for much of the latter stages before Kipruto blasted clear down the back straight on the last lap.
