Kenneth Rooks, the Olympic silver medalist and three-time defending U.S. champion, inexplicably failed to advance to the finals of the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the world track and field championships in Tokyo Saturday.
On the opening day of competition, running in the third heat, he placed 11th in the 12-man field. He finished with a time of 8:45.57 — 31 seconds slower than his season best and 37 seconds slower than his personal record.
Meanwhile, training partner Dan Michalski placed third in the third heat behind two-time Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and world record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia with a time of in 8:28.76. Michalski, who turned 30 this month, has experienced a career resurgence since moving from Colorado to Utah to train with BYU coach Ed Eyestone and his pro training group.
The final is set for Monday evening in Tokyo (6:55 a.m. MDT).
Running against El Bakkali and Girma in his first global championships, Michalski ran boldly, taking the lead and running from the front until the final homestretch.
“I decided to just put myself up there and press a little bit from a (kilometer) out and just so that I would feel the wind up,” he told reporters. “ … It’s OK that they passed me in the last straightaway. I’ll survive, but it was really cool to get to share the track with them and to advance.”
Rooks was unable or unwilling to explain what happened in his race, telling reporters, “Right now I want to take the time to process and maybe I’ll say something in the next few days to shed a little more light on it. My fitness is not indicative of what happened today … I think I want to take some time and reflect on it to make sure that I pinpoint what the issue is. I have some ideas on what it might be.”
In an interview with the Deseret News a few weeks ago, Rooks indicated that he has struggled to perform with the pressure he has experienced since winning the silver medal at last summer’s Paris Olympics.
“Once I won the silver medal, everyone expected me to do well in every single race,” he said. “It has affected my ability to perform … I don’t want to avoid being a silver medalist; I want to embrace it, and I do; it’s just the pressure that comes with it ... I’ve dealt with it well at times and sometimes not.”
Rooks has had an uneven season. He opened the outdoor season in May with a personal-record time of 3:37.66 in the 1,500-meter run (about a 3:54 mile) and two weeks later won a steeplechase race in Los Angeles with the second-fastest time of his career, 8:14.25. But in his next three races his best finish was 12th.
He hit rock bottom with a 15th-place showing in a Diamond League race in Monaco. He said he met with a sports psychologist after that race. Rooks rebounded by winning the U.S. championships.
Then came Saturday’s baffling performance in the world championships.
Eyestone offered another explanation for Saturday’s performance.
“(Rooks) had been showing signs of fatigue in workouts coupled with a sore hamstring and (he) woke up (the day of the race) with a cold. He’ll be back.”
Said Rooks, “I’m disappointed. I had an incredible season last year, and I was hoping to have something similar this year.”
