3000m steeplechase

Introduction

 This is the only distance event on the programme in which athletes negotiate barriers. Athletes cover a distance of 3000m, but the precise number of laps depends on the position of the water jump and whether it is placed on the inside or the outside of the track’s second bend. Athletes make a bunched standing start and can break immediately for the inside. This event has its origins in Britain; runners would race from one town’s steeple to the next, jumping obstacles such as streams and low walls. 

The current event can be traced to the two-mile steeplechases run at Oxford University in the mid-19th century. It was made a track event, with barriers, at the 1879 English Championships. The current format has been contested by men – initially over varying distances – at every Olympic Games since 1900. 

The women’s event was introduced as recently as 2008. Perhaps no nation dominates any event quite like Kenya does the steeplechase. Since Amos Biwott struck gold at the 1968 Olympic Games, Kenya has won every men’s Olympic steeplechase title up to and including 2016 with the exception of two. In the women’s steeplechase, Russia, Tunisia, and Bahrain won 2008, 2012, and 2016 Olympic titles respectively.

3000 meters steeplechase: 

The 3000 meters steeplechase is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over a distance of 3000 meters, which derives its name from the horse racing steeplechase.  

A 3,000 meters steeplechase is defined in the rulebook as having 28 barriers and 7 water jumps. A 2,000 meters steeplechase has 18 barriers and 5 water jumps. Since the water jump is never on the track oval, a steeplechase "course" is never a perfect 400 meters lap. Instead, the water jump is placed inside the turn, shortening the lap, or outside the turn, lengthening the lap. 

The start line moves from conventional starting areas in order to compensate for the different lengths of the lap. When the water jump is inside, the 3,000 start line is on the backstretch (relative to the steeplechase finish). When the water jump is outside, the 3,000 start line is on the home stretch. The 2,000 start line reverses that pattern and uses 5/7 the amount of compensation. 

Competitors must always clear 28 fixed barriers and seven water jumps during the duration of the race. The finishing order is determined on time. At major championships, the 3000m steeplechase format typically consists of heats (sometimes semi-finals) and finals. The men’s barriers are 36inch (91.4cm) high, the women’s 30inch (76.2cm). The water jump’s landing area is 12ft (3.66m) long and 70cm at its deepest. Besides strength endurance and an impressive aerobic capacity, top steeplechasers also require good agility.

The start: 

The steeplechase begins with a standing start. The start command is, “On your marks.” Runners may not touch the ground with their hands during the start. As in all races – except those in the decathlon and heptathlon – runners are permitted one false start but are disqualified on their second false start. 

The race: 

The 3000-meter event includes 28 hurdle jumps and seven water jumps. The jumps begin after the runners pass the finish line for the first time. There are five jumps in each of the final seven laps, with the water jump as the fourth. The jumps are evenly distributed throughout the track. Each runner must go over or through the water pit and must jump each hurdle. As in all races, the event ends when a runner’s torso (not the head, arm, or leg) crosses the finish line.