Ryuji Miura Advances to Men's Steeplechase Final for the 2nd Straight Olympics

Ryuji Miura has qualified for his second Olympic final in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase.

The 22-year-old had the fourth-best time in qualifying among 36 runners on Monday, August 5 at the Stade de France, securing a spot in the Paris 2024 16-man final on Wednesday evening (4:43 AM Thursday JST). 

Miura was a seventh-place finisher in the men's 3,000-meter steeplechase final at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Games in 2021. He was clocked in 8 minutes, 16.90 seconds at National Stadium.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Miura placed sixth with a time of 8:13.70.

On Monday, the native of Shimane Prefecture ran his qualifying heat in 8:12.41 in Saint-Denis, France. It was his fourth-fastest time at this distance in a steeplechase race. His career-best time: 8:09.91 at the Meeting de Paris, a Diamond League athletics meet, in June 2023.

Aiming to Collect an Olympic Steeplechase Medal

Looking ahead to his upcoming race, Miura stated his objective without hesitation. 

"I want to give my best performance in the same way that I did in the qualifying round," Miura said, according to NHK.

He added, "I would love to win a medal, and that is what I am aiming for. But all I can do is give it my all."

And what were Miura's thoughts on his qualifying heat?

"To some extent, I thought it would be a qualifying round where I would have to give it my all," he was quoted as saying by the Japanese public broadcaster. "The level was quite high for a qualifier, and the pace was very fast. I had a good feeling and the cheering from the spectators made it fun to [race]."

Japan has never won an Olympic medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Morocco's Mohamed Tindouft had the fastest time (8:10.62) in qualifying. It also was a personal-best time for the 31-year-old, who made his Olympic steeplechase debut in Tokyo and finished 13th in the final.

Kenya's Dominance in the 3,000-Meter Steeplechase

Starting in 1984, Kenyan athletes won nine straight Olympic gold medals in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.

Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali broke that streak at the Tokyo Games. He qualified with the seventh-fastest time (8:17.90) for Wednesday's final.

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Author: Ed Odeven

Find Ed on JAPAN Forward's dedicated website, SportsLook. Follow his [Japan Sports Notebook] on Sundays, [Odds and Evens] during the week, and X (formerly Twitter) ＠ed_odeven.