Emma Coburn, a Crested Butte Local is the First American Woman to Ever Medal in Steeplechase in an Olympic race. On August 15th, Coburn beat her own American record in the 3,000 meter steeplechase in the Olympic finals. Her time of 9 minutes, 7.63 seconds won her a bronze medal and a chance to represent the United States on the Olympic podium in Rio. The gold medal winner, Ruth Jebet of Bahrain dominated the race and came close to beating the fastest time in the world. With her final time of 8 minutes, 59.75 seconds, she finished less than a second away from the world record. A Kenyan runner (and the 2016 World Champion), Hyvin Jepkemoi just beat Coburn for Silver after they battled neck and neck for most of the final lap. The race is a test of endurance, obstacle negotiation and speed. Runners travel 7 and a half laps around the track and go over 28 barriers and 7 water jumps. Watch highlights of the race here. In her Olympic debut at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Emma Coburn was the youngest U.S. runner and came home with a finish in the top ten. Her hard work and dedication to the sport have obviously paid off in this years games. At the finish line, Emma congratulates the gold and silver winners, gives her USA teammate a hug and is grabbed by reporters for an emotional post race interview. She was clearly very excited about medaling and happy that her family was there to support her. She even gave a shout out to the Brick Oven staff, for being some of her biggest fans! Congratulations Emma!!
