Kenya's Kipruto wins men's 3,000m steeplechase gold

Kenya's Conseslus Kipruto stormed to victory in the men's 3,000 metre steeplechase final on Wednesday, ensuring the East African nation maintained its iron grip on the event it has won in every Games since 1984.

Consesius Kipruto was so far ahead of his rivals that he started celebrating and waving to the crowd at the start of the final straight.

Conseslus Kipruto won the fourth gold medal for Kenya with an Olympic record time of 8 minutes 3.28 seconds in the men’s 3000-metre steeplechase at the Olympic Stadium on Wednesday.

Evan Jager (8:04.28) of the U.S. and Ezekiel Kemboi (8:08.47) of Kenya completed the podium.

It was the ninth successive gold medal for Kenya in the event, and the effort matched the long-running U.S. record in the 4 x 100 metres medley relay swimming event at the Olympics.

The 34-year-old Ezekiel Kemboi, who promptly announced his retirement, won his third medal in the event, after the gold in the Athens and London Games.

Kipruto celebrated on the home straight, waving to the crowd and winning its applause. "I knew nobody was going to catch me. So, I started celebrating. I knew I was going to win the gold in the last 200 metres," said Kipruto.

He praised compatriot Kemboi, and said that he was happy to have beaten him in his last race. ‘’Kemboi told me he was going to win. He usually destroys somebody’s mind. But I told him, let the track show who is to be the king’’, said Kipruto.

Silver medallist Evan Jager of the U.S. was happy to break the monopoly of Kenya, yet praised Kemboi. ‘’In my eyes Kemboi is still the greatest of all time, no matter how old he is. I am very happy to have beaten him in a championship race,’’ said Jager.