Men’s steeplechase depth is such that even Geordie Beamish’s renowned finishing kick, nor Matt Wilkinson’s second fastest race ever, were able to advance to the Olympic final.
Beamish, the former NAU star, was in the third and slowest heat on Monday, which should have favored his kick. He was still as far back as eighth at the bell lap in a race that sends only the top five from each heat to the final, but that’s not unusual for Beamish.
But he couldn’t make up the gap and finished seventh in 8:25.86.
Afterward, Beamish told reporters in Paris that he has been battling a respiratory illness and a minor injury. He hasn’t done a workout in three weeks.
“Unfortunately, it was a pretty rough month,” he said, “just been in pain every single day. Just wasn’t able to get in the training required to compete at this level.”
In an earlier heat, Under Armour Dark Sky Distance’s Matt Wilkinson made a gutty effort to bridge the gap and reach the lead pack of five. With two laps to go, it appeared Wilkinson was fading; he fell to eighth place.
Wilkinson rallied, though, in the ball lap and finished sixth, one place shy of advancing, in 8:16.82. That was close to his personal best of 8:16.59, set in Los Angeles this spring.
- Run Flagstaff will host a big-screen watch party on Saturday at the Orpheum Theater. It shaped up to be a big day for Flagstaff-based runners. There’s a chance that Hobbs Kessler and training partner Bryce Hoppel will be in the 800 meters final (10:25 a.m.), Luis Grijalva, Abdihamid Nur and Edwin Kurgat in the 5,000, and Nikki Hiltz in the 1,500 meters.
Doors will open at 10 a.m., and the event is free.
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