Courtney Frerichs, Former UMKC Track Star, Takes Silver For Steeplechase At Tokyo Olympics

Courtney Frerichs, a University of Missouri-Kansas City alumna, took silver in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Tokyo Olympics.

Frerichs looked like she would claim the gold before she finished second with a time of 9:04.79. Peruth Chemutai overtook her in the last 250 meters, becoming the first Ugandan woman to win an Olympic medal in any sport. She led Frerichs by three seconds for a time of 9:01.45.

Frerichs, who is from Nixa, Missouri, tweeted about her excitement ahead of the final race.

“I have been thinking about this day for so long and I am excited, fit, and ready to toe the line against a fantastic field,” Frerichs said.

The win marks her second trip to the Olympics. She finished 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Frerichs is one of UMKC’s most-decorated athletes with five All-American finishes, despite arriving on campus never having run a steeplechase.

In the men's 200-meter, Canadian sprinter Andre De Grasse, who attended Coffeyville Community College in southeastern Kansas, won gold in Tokyo with a time of 19.62 seconds. He also took bronze in the men’s 100 meter with a time of 9.89 seconds.

In De Grasse's time at CCC, he won five NJCAA titles before transferring to the University of Southern California in 2015. It was there that he won an NCAA title.

De Grasse won silver in the 200-meter at the Rio 2016 Olympics, where he also took home two bronze medals.