Valerie Constien’s remarkably swift return from a devastating knee injury fell short of Olympic glory.
The former distance standout for the Colorado Buffaloes fell off the pace in a swift Olympic final of the 3,000-meter women’s steeplechase in Paris, as Constien finished 15th in the 15-athlete field on Tuesday.
Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi surged past defending Olympic gold medalist Peruth Chemutai down the stretch, finishing in an Olympic record 8 minutes, 52.76 seconds. Chemutai took the silver medal in 8:53.34, while Kenya’s Faith Cherotich claimed the bronze (8:55.15).
Constien held strong at the middle of the pack, though behind the leading pack, for about half the race. But as the lead pack lengthened its advantage, Constien began to fade, ultimately finishing in 9:34.08. Fellow American Courtney Wayment finished 12th with a time of 9:13.60.
Constien suffered a torn ACL in May of 2023 but completed an impressive comeback by winning the US Olympic Trials in June, posting a personal-best, meet-record time of 9:03.22. Constien advanced out of the preliminary rounds on Sunday by finishing 12th in 9:16.33.
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