On the final day of competition at the world track and field championships, BYU alum Courtney Wayment finished 15th in a 15-woman field in the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase on a hot and humid evening in Budapest.
After trying to hang on to the back of the lead pack — which was running at a blistering pace — Wayment faded in the final laps, finishing almost six seconds behind her nearest rival. Her time: 9:25.90.
The race was won by Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi with a time of 8:54.29, the fourth-fastest ever. World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech was second in 8:58.98.
Two other former BYU athletes, Rory Linkletter and Nico Montanez, finished 19th and 55th, respectively, in the men’s marathon. Linkletter, running for his native Canada, ran efficiently and evenly, covering both the first half and second half of the race in 66 minutes each for a final time of 2:12:16. His patience in the hot conditions was rewarded. He was only 60th after 10,000 meters, but picked off 40 runners during the final 20 miles.
Montanez was clocked in 2:24:58. The top American finisher was Zach Panning, who was 15th in 2:11:21.
The race was won by Victory Kiplangat of Uganda with a time of 2:08:53.
The next world championships will be the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. Three Utah-connected athletes finished in the top 10 in Budapest: Utah State alum Chari Hawkins (eighth in the heptathlon); BYU’s Kenneth Rooks (10th in the steeplechase); and former BYU athlete Zach McWhorter (eighth in the pole vault).