It's Been Busy Year For Ex-Buff Emma Coburn
July 03, 2016 | Track and Field, Neill Woelk
Steeplechase standout has vaulted into national spotlight
BOULDER — When Emma Coburn toes the starting line Monday for the first round of the U.S. Olympic Trials steeplechase, it will be just one more piece of what's been a very busy year for the former Colorado track and field star — on and off the track.
In late May, the three-time NCAA champion and 2012 Olympian nailed down the American record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase when she finished in 9 minutes, 10.76 seconds at the Prefontaine Classic in Oregon. Her time broke the record of 9:12.50 — set by another former Buff, Jenny Simpson, in 2009 — and made official what she had actually accomplished two years ago.
Coburn first eclipsed Simpson's record in a meet in Scotland in 2014 when she finished in 9:11.42. But because she didn't take a drug test after the race — she finished second in the event and didn't realize she needed to submit to drug testing — USA Track and Field would not officially recognize her time.
Most observers figured she would eclipse the record in 2015, but it didn't happen. She was hounded by a variety of injuries throughout the year, including an Achilles issue that threatened to stretch into 2016 and derail her plans to earn a second Olympics berth.
But after battling the injury through much of the fall and winter, she has bounced back in a big way. Next up are the U.S. Olympic Trials, where she will be one of the favorites to defend her title and earn a berth to the XXXI Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August.
"I've had a great spring," Coburn said recently. "I had some rocky times in the fall and winter with injury, but this spring has been really good. I'm feeling fit and healthy, and I'm excited to race."
Coburn has been one of the nation's best steeplechasers for several years, ever since winning her first NCAA title in 2011.
But this spring, she has burst into the national spotlight. She was recently featured on the cover of a recent issue of Runner's World
Pick up this month's issue on @runnersworld magazine! @EvanJager and I give our thoughts on the steeplechase ?????????? pic.twitter.com/B1r57UPjmh
— emma coburn (@emmajcoburn) June 8, 2016
and Friday was the subject of a feature on ESPN.com.
Check out this piece from @espn about the water jump! https://t.co/jzaxVhq8WP pic.twitter.com/uOc1FVgP3i
— emma coburn (@emmajcoburn) July 1, 2016
Next week — at the same time she is competing at the Olympic Trials in Eugene — she will take her fame to another level when she is featured in ESPN The Magazine's "Body Issue." Other athletes included in the issue include Denver Broncos linebacker and Super Bowl MVP Von Miller, Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade and Chicago Cubs pitcher Jake Arrieta.
I'll be in this year's @espn #BodyIssue!! Issue out July 6th ???????? https://t.co/c5IyPq4w2S pic.twitter.com/LCWNVmTxKv
— emma coburn (@emmajcoburn) June 21, 2016
It's all been "very interesting," she said with a laugh, but all her attention recently has been focused directly on a return trip to the Olympics.
"Having been through the Olympic Trials once, I'm a little more ready to face the buzz and the nerves around it," she said. "But it also gives me a little more butterflies remembering how great it was last time and how I want to mimic that. I won in 2012, so thinking back to that moment, I get butterflies hoping I can recreate that."
Coburn will be one of three competitors in the steeplechase with Buffs ties. Another former Buff, Shalaya Kipp — also a 2012 Olympian in the event — will be racing again, as will current Buff Erin Clark, who will be making her first appearance in the trials.
Contact: Neill.Woelk@Colorado.edu
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