EUGENE – When Emma Coburn pulled away, there was little doubt she would win and claim her ninth U.S. steeplechase title. Crossing the finish line in 9:09.41, she set a U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials record and will head to her third Olympic Games.
In 2016, Coburn cracked the podium for the first time at a global championships by winning bronze in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first American woman to medal at the Olympics in the steeplechase. (Bahrain’s Ruth Jebet won gold but was banned in 2018 for using EPO. She did not get stripped of her gold medal.