Val Constien runs season’s best 3,000-meter steeplechase at Pre Classic
Frederic Sierakowski/AP photo
Val Constien posted a season-best time in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Pre Classic in Eugene, Oregon on Saturday. The two-time Olympian placed 20th in the premiere Diamond League event with a time of 9 minutes, 16.57 seconds as defending Olympic and World Champion Winfred Yavi took the win in a world-leading mark of 8:45.25.
“I think it was a really good step in the right direction,” Constien told the Lactic Acid Podcast afterwards.
Constien, who ran the third-fastest time in U.S. history (9:03.22) to win the Olympic Trials last year, hasn’t had as clean of a start to the 2025 season. She opened the year with a 9:33.19 at the Doha Diamond League in May — the same meet where she tore her ACL in 2023.
“Going back to Doha there was definitely like a mental block,” she said. In her next race, the Oslo Diamond League on June 12, Constien hit the barrier after a woman in front of her tripped. Despite hitting the deck hard — her cuts and bruises are still visible — the former Battle Mountain runner managed to finish in 9:32.87.
“I’m just proud of myself for getting back up in Oslo and limping through the rest of the race,” Constien said before adding that the Pre Classic felt like her “first real race of the year.”
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“Where I didn’t have any mental blocks, I didn’t have anyone tripping in front of me — I just got to race,” she continued. “And, I definitely learned a lot.”
Peruth Chemutai, the 2020 Olympic gold medalist, led the pack through the 1K (2:56.61) and 2K (5:55.39) checkpoints. Yavi, Chemutai and Kenya’s Faith Cherotich pulled away from the rest of the field, but Yavi had the strongest kick down the homestretch. Cherotich (8:48.71) finished second and Chemutai (8:51.77) was third.
“I came here ready. The plan was to execute what I planned with coach and I’m happy it (went) well,” Yavi said in a post-race TV interview. She was less than a second away from the world record, but said Beatrice Chepkoech’s mark was not on her mind.
“The plan was to come and run my own race and dig in to the finish,” Yavi stated.
Constien finished as the fourth-best U.S. runner on the day. Gabrielle Jennings was the top American, placing sixth in 9:06.61. Kaylee Mitchell (9:08.66) and Lexy Halladay (9:09.47) finished eighth and ninth, respectively.
“It feels good to keep the positive momentum going,” Jennings said. “USAs is always different than these kinds of races, so it’s good to practice different kinds of racing.”
The USATF outdoor national championships are July 31-Aug. 3 at Hayward Field. The top-3 finishers with the world championship standard in each event will represent Team USA at the World Athletics championships in Tokyo in September. Constien is a two-time Olympian but has never run at a world championships. Considering the depth of American women’s steeplechase, she expects this global team to be a hard one to make.
“It’s going to be a really fast race. So, I’m glad today went well, I’m glad it was a good stepping stone, but I know I have my work cut out for me,” she said. “If I won with a 9:03 last year, we could be looking at like, a sub-9 to win and maybe even a sub-9 for a second-place finish. Which is so exciting when you think about it. It’s going to be a tough battle.”
“USAs is always just a different beast,” Jennings added. “You have to be prepared for anything.”
Jennings plans to head to Crested Butte for a two-week altitude stint before nationals while Constien will prepare in Boulder.
“I think I’m in a really good spot,” Constien said. “If (the) trajectory is anything like it was last year, I’m really hoping to run low 9s or even sub-9 at U.S. champs.”
