Utah Local Courtney Wayment Qualifies For Final In Birthday Olympics Debut
Aug 4, 2024, 2:45 AM
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 04: Courtney Wayment of Team United States competes during the Women's 3000m Steeplechase Round 1 on day nine of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade de France on August 04, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
(Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
PARIS – Utah native and BYU graduate Courtney Wayment ran an impressive race and qualified for the 3000m Steeplechase Final at the Paris Olympics.
Making her Olympic debut on her 26th birthday, Wayment was in contention for a spot on the podium from the starting gunshot.
American Courtney Wayment qualifies for the steeplechase final in her first Olympics! #ParisOlympics
📺: USA Network and Peacock pic.twitter.com/suRReZNJjg
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 4, 2024
Courtney Wayment Qualifies For 3000m Steeplechase Final At Paris Olympics
The former BYU track star started in the fourth position and stayed around there for the entirety of the race.
The steeplechase event is a 7.5-lap race that features four hurdles and one water jump. Wayment’s final time was 9:10.72, just four-hundredths of a second slower than third.
Through the first 1000m, Wayment kept pace and held fourth with a 3:03.9. The second 1k was her slowest of the round, losing six seconds and dropping to fifth.
As the leading pack crossed over the line for the final lap, Wayment made her move.
Six women racing for five auto Qs!
It came down to a pack of six in the closing laps to determine the advancers out of the first women’s 3k steeplechase first round section, and it was Peruth Chemutai 🇺🇬who won in 9:10.51.
American Courtney Wayment BATTLED down the homestretch… pic.twitter.com/pOuYXmjoU2
— FloTrack (@FloTrack) August 4, 2024
Coming out of the water, she took a wide angle and cut ahead into second place. As she turned into the final stretch, a costly slowdown dropped her back to fourth.
The top six were neck and neck as they approached the finish line. The gap between first and sixth was just .4 seconds.
Wayment held her spot and ran through the line in fourth. She will join the other top nine finishers in the final on Tuesday, August 6 at 1:10 p.m. (MST).
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The 2024 Paris Olympics takes place Friday, July 26, through Sunday, August 11. The Paris Games are comprised of 329 events across 19 days, with 754 competitions and ceremonies for more than 10,000 athletes.
Find KSL Sports coverage of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics here.
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Chandler Holt is a co-host of the Jazz Notes podcast, a Locals In The NFL Insider, and Digital Sports Producer for KSLSports.com. Follow Chandler on Twitter @CHoltSports or on Threads @chandlerho1t.
