Bor Wins Steeple Heat To Qualify For Olympic Final

Hillary Bor (U.S. Army) easily won the first qualifying heat of the Rio Olympic 3,000m steeplechase to advance to Wednesday's final. Bor surged into the lead on the final lap, letting up over the final 20-meters to take one of three automatic qualifying spots over Soufiane Elbakkali of Morocco and two-time and defending Olympic gold medalist Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya. Bor's final lap of 59.4 was the quickest finish of all three heats.

Bor ignited finals qualifying for the American steeplechase contingent as American Record Holder Evan Jager also won the second qualifying heat while two-time Olympian Don Cabral finished third in the final heat. The last time all three American steeplechasers qualified for the Olympic final was 1932 and the last time that an American won a medal was 1984.