Huge upset in Women’s 3000m, Elle St. Pierre surprises Gudaf Tsegay, Laura Muir gives it her all and finishes fifth

This was always going to be a huge event. Laura Muir wanted to race at home, so loyal that she went to Scotland. Elle St. Pierre told RunBlogRun on February 3 that she hoped to improve her medal in the 3,000m from Belgrade. Stuart Weir tells the story well! 

This is his first story for day 2 of the World Champs. 

Women’s 3000m

The women’s 3000m would always be one of the stand-out races in the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow. That Laura Muir from Scotland – who lives in Glasgow – was in the field added spice to the occasion as the locals dreamed of a home victory. To be honest it was always at best a long shot as Laura was taking on a stellar field in a distance that was not her strongest. Her fifth place was probably as good as one could have expected of her, and in truth, she was never challenged for a medal. The result was

1 Elle St Pierre (USA) 8:20.87 

2 Gudah Tsegay (Ethiopia) 8:21.13 

3 Beatrice Chepkoech (Kenya) 8:22.68

4 Jessica Hull (Australia) 8:24.39

5 Laura Muir (GB, OK Scotland) 8:29.76

Tsegay was probably the favorite – the current world 5000m World Record holder. There was Beatrice Chepkoech, a former world record holder at the 3000 steeplechase. St Pierre ran a simply brilliant tactical race, taking the lead only right at the end.

St Pierre, who gave birth to a son just a year ago,  said, “This is amazing. It’s all I ever dreamed of. It’s been a big year for me. It’s really emotional to think of, but a year ago, my son was born to be here as a world champion; I can’t imagine it. I feel like a new person, a new athlete. I can’t wait to see him after this. It’s fascinating to break the championship record. I did worry the pace was too high in the middle, but after that, I decided not to overthink it and just go for it. I didn’t know I had the gold till the finish, the last 10 meters”.

Tsegay said, “I am not happy with this result, but I accept what I achieved. I was expecting a gold medal today. This season has been good so far, and I am competing at the world championships, so the next target for me is the Olympics because I want to get an Olympic medal and show something big in Paris. Everything happens in this sport, so I accept tonight’s result and will do better next time”.

Chepkeoch set a new Kenyan record but had to settle for third.