Colorado Buffaloes alumnus Emma Coburn was one of two U.S. athletes in the finals of the 3,000 meter steeplechase on Monday, and while she finished as the higher of the two, she came in ninth-place out of 14 (there were 15 runners, but one did not finish). Still, Coburn's 9:23.54 was a personal best and roughly 22 seconds better than teammate Bridget Franek, who came in last place among the finishers.
Russia's Yulia Zarapova took the gold medal in 9:06.72, a personal best. Habiba Ghribi of Tunisia took silver by setting a national record of 9:08.37. Ethiopia's Sofia Assefa claimed the bronze medal with a time of 9:09.84.
Gesa Felicitas Krause of Germany finished .02 seconds better than Coburn for eighth place.
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