Run YOUR race like “I’ve got nothing to lose! I don’t want to have any regrets that I left something, anything on the track!” Rooks passed seven men to win a Silver Medal (almost Gold) — because “I just wanted to execute the race to the best of my ability and give everything I had and run without any regrets.”
He demolished his own PR, personal record by 8.67 seconds. That’s huge. 8:06.41 elevated him to No. 2 all-time U.S. performer.
In the Olympic 3000m steeplechase, 1.8 miles jumping hurdles and tramping through puddles, Kenneth Rooks, a 24-year-old BYU alum and native of Walla Walla, Washington, built a brief lead of 5m on the last backstretch and only gave 1st up to defending champion Soufiane El Bakkali with 100 to go.
T&FN Editor Sieg Lindstrom conducted the interview.
SL: I’d like to introduce Kenneth Rooks [avalanche of applause], who earned perhaps the most unexpected silver medal of the Games.
Rooks: “Well, yeah, I would describe it as unexpected. I mean, my coach, Ed Eyestone, definitely believed in me and I had a little bit of belief for myself — because of how well I can close the race.”
“And I had nothing to lose. So that’s kind of the mindset I was going into the race with and just seeing where that was gonna take me.”
“That first lap, if they went out hot, hold back, maybe around 65s. That’s kind of what the plan was. That put me more toward the back.
“But that’s how the race played out [fast with the pace 16-seconds under Rooks’ PR]. And so that’s the game plan that we executed.
“I wanted to give it everything and I wanted to just let loose.
“So when I had moved up and I was kind of in that position, I just was like, You know what? I got nothing to lose. I’m just gonna go for it. I’m just gonna give it everything. I’m just going to see what’s gonna happen.
“And I took off, took the lead, and then I was like, Is this actually happening? Am I actually… Did they let me just do this? Did they let me take the lead in the final?
“And then in the backstretch, I was like, ‘Well, I might actually be able to win this thing if I keep this up.’ And then I started to feel them catch back up. I started to get tired.
“El Bakkali caught me, but I was able to keep composed and fight back for the silver.
“Yes. I remember each of those glances back. I think everything that was going through my head was like, ‘Is this actually happening? Am I actually gonna medal?’ That’s all the things that were going through my head. I probably shouldn’t have been looking around as much as I was [crowd laughs], but I was excited. But also freaking out.”
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