Utah local Courtney Wayment qualifies for Final in Birthday Olympics debut

PARIS – Utah native and BYU graduate Courtney Wayment ran an impressive race and qualified for the 3000m Steeplechase Final at the Paris Olympics.

Making her Olympic debut on her 26th birthday, Wayment was in contention for a spot on the podium from the starting gunshot.

Courtney Wayment Qualifies For 3000m Steeplechase Final At Paris Olympics

The former BYU track star started in the fourth position and stayed around there for the entirety of the race.

The steeplechase event is a 7.5-lap race that features four hurdles and one water jump. Wayment’s final time was 9:10.72, just four-hundredths of a second slower than third.

Through the first 1000m, Wayment kept pace and held fourth with a 3:03.9. The second 1k was her slowest of the round, losing six seconds and dropping to fifth.

As the leading pack crossed over the line for the final lap, Wayment made her move.

Coming out of the water, she took a wide angle and cut ahead into second place. As she turned into the final stretch, a costly slowdown dropped her back to fourth.

The top six were neck and neck as they approached the finish line. The gap between first and sixth was just .4 seconds.

Wayment held her spot and ran through the line in fourth. She will join the other top nine finishers in the final on Tuesday, August 6 at 1:10 p.m. (MST).

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