Courtney Frerichs is an American middle-distance runner from Nixa, Missouri, who specializes in steeplechase. She was placed second in steeplechase at the 2016 US Olympic Trials to qualify to represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She won the silver medal at the 2017 World Championships, becoming the seventh fastest woman in the history of the event. Emma Coburn won the gold medal at the same event, thus making Coburn and Frerichs the first female Americans to win the gold and silver medal in any individual World Championships or Olympics race longer than 400 meters since the 1912 Stockholm Games.
On July 20, 2018, at the Herculis meet in Monaco, she finished in second place behind Beatrice Chepkoech’s world record 8:44.32. Frerichs’ time of 9:00.85 jumped her ahead of Coburn for the American and North American (NACAC) records in the steeplechase and the #6 mark all time. Frerichs won the steeplechase NCAA title at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships as a Lobo, setting a collegiate record of 9:24.41.
Namita Nayyar:
You won the silver medal at the 2017 World Championships, becoming the seventh fastest woman in the history of the event. Walk us through your spectacular journey and tell us how it all began?
Courtney Frerichs:
Being an athlete is something I have always been passionate about and have known from a young age that I wanted to compete at a high level and set big goals such as competing in the Olympics. When I was given the opportunity to compete in track and field and cross country at the collegiate level I was ecstatic. I was really fortunate to be surrounded by people who pushed me to be the best version of myself and I was able to become an NCAA champion, NCAA record holder, seven times All-American, and qualify for the Olympics while I was in college.
This led to the opportunity to compete professionally and I was really fortunate to be able to sign with Nike and join the Bowerman Track Club. Moving up to the professional level was really challenging, but helped me improve even more and pushed me to a new level of fitness. The environment I have put myself in and the commitment to training I have has helped me to qualify for three world championship teams, set an American record in the 3k steeplechase, and win a silver medal at the 2017 World Championships.
Namita Nayyar:
You grew up competing in several sports while focusing on gymnastics and soccer, then when did you switch to long-distance running?
Courtney Frerichs:
Running was something I as exposed to here and there growing up, but I didn’t commit to the sport until much later in life. I ran a little track throughout the years, but it wasn’t until my senior year of high school that I truly discovered my love for long distance running and began to run cross country. I was fortunate to receive a scholarship to run in college and decided to pursue it. My freshman year of college was the first year I began running full time.
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