BYU alum Kenneth Rooks, who made headlines last summer after falling and then winning the steeplechase at the U.S. track championships, fell again during a Diamond League race in Silesia, Poland, Sunday, only this time it landed him in the hospital.
Rooks, who won the silver medal at the Olympic Games two weeks ago, fell over a barrier 4 1/2 laps into the 7 1/2-lap race and landed hard on his right shoulder. When he fell at last year’s U.S. championships, Rooks rolled and bounced to his feet; this time he required several seconds before he was able to resume running. He was clutching his right arm as he crossed the finish line.
Rooks was taken by ambulance from the stadium to a local hospital.
BYU coach Ed Eyestone, who watched the race on TV in Provo, received reports from Rooks’ wife, Taylor. “Looks like no breaks or dislocation,” said the coach. “He’s coming home tomorrow. We’ll get him checked out when he gets home.”
Rooks finished the race in 16th place with a time of 8:35.19, some 19 seconds slower than his Olympic time. The race featured the top six finishers in the Olympic final and was won, again, by Morocco’s two-time Olympic champion, El Bakkali Soufiane, with a time of 8:04.29.
The race in Silesia was the last of the year for Rooks, regardless of the outcome. It ends another brilliant season for the BYU engineering student. He won his second straight U.S. championship and the U.S. Olympic trials, ran the second-fastest time ever by an American, and produced one of the biggest surprises of the Olympic track meet by finishing second in the Olympic final.