Subhi Agrawal
The 19-year-old Ruth Jebet secured Bahrain’s first Olympic gold medal in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Rio Olympics 2016 but missed on breaking the world record.
“I Wanted The Gold Medal”
“I admit it was too easy for me but nobody told me about the record. I wanted the gold medal,” Jebet said, reported by Wionews.
The teenager stormed into the lead after a few laps. She set a rapid pace to finish in 8 minutes 59.75 seconds, just short of the 8:58.81 world record set by Russia’s Gulnara Galkina at the Beijing Olympics 2008.
Ruth Jebet is a long-distance runner from Kenya, who represents Bahrain in international competitions. She specialized in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and gained global attention after winning Bahrain’s first-ever Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Rio Games.
Galkina and Ruth, the world junior champion, are the only two women to have run a sub-nine-minute time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Jebet became the second Kenyan-born athlete to win a medal at the Rio Games, following Eunice Jepkirui Kirwa’s silver in the women’s marathon.
Lack Of Financial Support
Over the past decade, numerous athletes from Kenya’s renowned running regions have changed their allegiance to compete with Middle Eastern nations. This trend is partly driven by the lack of support and financial incentives available for emerging runners in Kenya.
Kenya’s Hyvin Kiyeng Jepkemoi, who won the world championship from Beijing, finished nearly 50 meters behind Jebet and secured second place.
“I am so happy. The last two laps were really hard. I just tried to stay strong and see if I could catch her,” Jepkemoi stated.
American Emma Coburn claimed the United States’ first-ever medal in the steeplechase and made a new national record as she won a bronze medal.
“I feel very honored,” Coburn stated.
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