Kenneth Rooks secures spot in men’s steeplechase final

Two runners with BYU ties were in action Monday in the opening round of the men’s steeplechase at the Olympics, and one is moving on to the medal round.

Kenneth Rooks secured his spot in the final, while his friend and training partner James Corrigan ’s remarkable Olympic journey ended Monday.

Rooks was near the front of the pack for most of his race.

When the bell rang for the final lap, he was in the top three and kept his jets on to account for late pushes from the runners behind him.

Rooks ultimately finished in second place in his heat, which was the third and final heat of Monday’s steeplechase action, with a time of 8:24.95, edging out the third place finisher by less than a tenth of a second.

In the first heat, Corrigan finished 10th with a time of 8:36.67. Only the five fastest runners in each heat advanced to the final.

Throughout Monday’s race broadcast, commentators praised Corrigan for his remarkable season, noting that the gains he’s made in recent months have been astounding.

“This is such an incredible story. I really can’t get over it,” one commentator said about Corrigan as he prepared for his heat.

The third American man competing in Monday’s steeplechase event, Matthew Wilkinson, just missed the cut for the final in the second heat. He finished sixth with a time of 8:16.82.

The men’s steeplechase final will take place Wednesday at 1:43 p.m. MDT.

Another former BYU runner, Courtney Wayment , will run for a medal in the women’s steeplechase final on Tuesday, as the Deseret News previously reported.