Evan Jager

Jager at the 2016 US Olympic Trials
Personal information
Full name	Evan Reese Jager
Born	(1989-03-08)March 8, 1989 (age 36) Algonquin, Illinois, U.S.
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	145 lb (66 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event	3000 metres steeplechase
College team	Wisconsin Badgers
Club	Bowerman Track Club
Turned pro	Sep. 2008
Coached by	Jerry Schumacher
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	2012 London 3000 m st., 6th 2016 Rio de Janeiro 3000 m st., Silver
World finals	2009 Berlin 5000 m, 25th (h) 2013 Moscow 3000 m st., 5th 2015 Beijing 3000 m st., 6th 2017 London 3000 m st., Bronze 2022 Eugene 3000 m st., 6th
Personalbests	1500 m: 3:32.97 (Portland 2015) Mile: 3:53.33 (Eugene 2014) 3000 m: 7:35.16 (Stockholm 2012) 5000 m: 13:02.40 (Brussels 2013) 3000 m s’chase: 8:00.45AR (Paris 2015) Indoors Mile: 3:55.25i (New York 2015) 3000 m: 7:38.25i (Boston 2020) 5000 m: 13:13.23i (Boston 2022)
Medal record Men'sathletics Representingthe United States Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro 3000 m s’chase World Championships 2017 London 3000 m s’chase Continental Cup 2014 Marrakesh 3000 m s’chase NACAC Championships 2022 Freeport 3000 m s’chase

Evan Reese Jager (born March 8, 1989) is an Americanmiddle- andlong-distancerunner who specializes in the3000 metres steeplechase. In his speciality event, he won a silver medal at the2016 Rio Olympics and a bronze at the2017 World Championships. Jager is the currentNACAC area record holder in the event with a time of 8:00.45. He is sponsored byNike and is coached byJerry Schumacher of theBowerman Track Club.

After just one year at theUniversity of Wisconsin, Jager turned professional, relocating toPortland. He qualified for his firstworld championships in 2009, competing in the5000 m. In 2012, he debuted in what would become his specialty event, the3000 m steeplechase. In just his first year in the event he would win theUS Olympic Trials, break theAmerican record, and finish6th at the London Olympics.

After missing the podium at the2013 and2015 World Championships, finishing fifth and sixth, Jager won a silver medal at theRio de Janeiro Olympics and followed it up with a bronze at the2017 World Championships. From 2018 to 2021, he struggled to stay healthy, but returned to form with a sixth place finish at the2022 World Championships.

Jager attendedHarry D. Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois, a suburb northwest of Chicago. His high school coach was Rob Piercy.^[1] In 2005, as a junior, he placed 9th at theFoot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego.^[2] In the same year, he lowered his personal best in themile run to 4:08.15, winning the Midwest Distance Gala. In 2007, as a senior, he ran 8:47.59 in the 2 mile, placing 4th at the Nike Outdoor Nationals. At the same meet, he ran 4:05.68 in the mile, placing 3rd although he competed in the "B" heat.

During his high school career, he won three individual state championship titles and one relay title. In 2006, as a junior, he won the 1600 m with a time of 4:11.22 and was a part of the winning 4 × 800 m relay with a time of 7:40.02. In 2006, as a senior, he won the cross country state championships with a time of 14:07. In 2007, as a senior, he won the 3200 m with a time of 8:52.33.

Jager attended theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison, where he competed for theWisconsin Badgers and was coached by Schumacher. He did not compete as a freshman at the 2007 NCAA Championships for Cross Country, and wasNCAA Division IAll-American in theDMR at 2008Indoor Track,^[3] but in 2008, Jager placed 8th in the1500 metres at the 2008NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.^[4]

In the summer after his freshman year, Jager qualified to represent the United States in the 2008IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships by winning the 1500 m in 3:47.43^[5] at2008 USA Junior Outdoor Track & Field Championships June 20–22, 2008 inJesse Owens Memorial Stadium atOhio State University inColumbus, Ohio. He made the finals of the1500 metres and placed 8th with 3:49.59.

That fall, Jager signed a professional contract withNike, forfeiting his remaining NCAA eligibility. He left theUniversity of Wisconsin and moved to Portland to continue training with Schumacher, who had been hired by Nike to be a full-time coach to professional Nike-sponsored runners. Jager enrolled inPortland State University to continue his studies.^[6]

Jager competed at his firstUSA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in the 5000 m, where he took the lead with 200 m to go before placing third behind his teammatesMatt Tegenkamp andChris Solinsky. By placing third, Jager earned the opportunity to represent the United States at the2009 IAAF World Championships inBerlin. At the World Championships, Jager placed 11th in his heat of the 5000 m and did not advance to the final.

Much of Jager's first professional season was documented in the Runner's World web series "Wisconsin to Worlds," which followed the teammates' historic sweep at the USATF Championships and their European season as they prepared for the 2009 IAAF World Championships.^[7][8]

In early 2010, Jager experienced pain in his foot during training runs. After taking some time off, he returned to competition, but the pain persisted and culminated in a stress fracture that he received in the 1500 m final at the USATF Championships on June 25. On July 28, 2010 he had surgery to repair a fracture in theNavicular bone of his foot.

Recuperation from his surgery took time, with pool and bike workouts substituting for running. He did not do any serious running workouts until March 2011, with the remainder of that track season being an essential, gradual return to high level training rather than a season of competitive racing.

In the spring of 2012, guided by coach Jerry Schumacher and former U.S. steeplechase championPascal Dobert, Jager switched to the 3000 m steeplechase. He made his debut at theMt. SAC Relays in April 2012. He won that race in 8:26.14, a stunning time for a neophyte and close to the 8:23.1 Olympic A standard necessary for participation in theLondon Games. During this race, he also beat America's best steeplechaser at the time,Daniel Huling, now one of his training partners. Jager followed through on this auspicious performance by comfortably winning the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials 3000 m steeplechase in 8:17.40.^[9][10]

On July 20, 2012, Jager broke the American record in the 3000 m steeplechase, running 8:06.81. On August 5, Jager competed in theOlympics, finishing 6th in the final. After the Olympics, on August 17, Jager ran a new personal best of 7:35 in the 3000 m at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, finishing 5th.

Jager kicked off the 2013 indoor season at theMillrose Games two-mile, where he finished fourth in 8:14.95 to winnerBernard Lagat, who set the American record in that race. This made Jager the fourth fastest American indoor two-miler of all time. He was fifth in the New York Columbia Qualifier 5000 m, where he finished in a time of 13:33.37. Later on in the season he finished 2nd in the indoor mile at the Seattle Husky Classic in 3:56.14, where he got nipped at the line by his teammate, Andrew Bumbalough.

Jager raced sparingly during the outdoor season before the U.S. Championships. He ran 13:14.60 which was good for 2nd toSaucony'sBen True at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. He also placed second in the Oxy HP 1500 m in 3:36.34. At thePrefontaine Classic he placed 4th in a time of 8:08.6, only two seconds off his American record. He followed up these personal record performances with an easy win at the USATF Outdoor Championships 3000 m steeplechase, where he finished in 8:20.67, giving him the opportunity to represent the USA at theIAAF World Championships in Moscow for the second time, and also winning him his second consecutive 3000 m steeplechase national title. During his European outdoor season, he ran a 3k in Luzern which was his only race between USAs and Worlds. Jager went into Worlds wanting to improve on his 6th place in the London Olympics. He won his qualifying round of theSteeplechase in Moscow in what seemed to be an easy effort. He went on to place fifth in the final, getting out-leaned by Kenya's Paul Koech. Although he only improved one place from the 2012 Olympics, he put himself in the race and was there with 400 meters to go, with the gap to 6th place being about 3 to 4 seconds. To round out his 2013 season, he raced the 5000 m at the Brussels Diamond League Meet, lowering his personal best by 12 seconds, to 13:02.40.

To kick off the 2014 outdoor season at thePrefontaine Classic, Jager ran a personal best of 3:53.33 to place him 3rd in the Men's International Mile. Only a few weeks later in Oslo, Jager was less than 2 tenths of a second off of breaking his own American 3000 m steeplechase record of 8:06.8 by running an 8:06.97. On June 29, 2014 Evan Jager won the USA 3,000 Meters Steeplechase Title by running 8:19.83.

On June 27, Jager won the steeplechase at the2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 95 degree temperature inEugene, Oregon. On July 4, Evan lowered the American Record in the steeplechase to 8:00.45 in 2015ParisMeeting ArevaDiamond League, despite falling over the final barrier.^[11][12][13]

Jager placed 6th in2015 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 3000 metres steeplechase.

Jager won steeplechase in a time of 8:22.48 at the2016 United States Olympic Trials ahead of teammatesHillary Bor andDonn Cabral to qualify for the2016 Summer Olympics.^[14]

On August 17 Jager won the silver medal at the2016 Olympics behindConseslus Kipruto ofKenya with a time of 8:04.28.

At the2017 World Championships in London on August 8, 2017, Evan placed 3rd in the3000 m Steeplechase in a time of 8:15.53.^[15] The race started out slow for the first kilometer in 2:51.81, then soon after Jager took the lead and held on to it, until 300 m remaining where he was passed, first byConseslus Kipruto (1st) and thenSoufiane El Bakkali (2nd). Jager managed to hold on for third withMahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad close behind^[16][17]

Jager suffered a stress fracture in 2018, and was unsure whether he would ever return to elite competition.^[18] However, five years after his last world championships appearance, Jager returned to international competition, placing sixth in the 3000m steeplechase at the2022 World Athletics Championships held in Eugene, Oregon.

Jager ran only four races in 2023, as he sat out most of the outdoor season due to a foot injury.^[19]

In a bid to make his third Olympic appearance, 35-year-old Jager competed in the 3000m steeplechase at the2024 United States Olympic trials.^[20] He placed fourth, one spot out of Olympic qualification.

Representing the United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2008	World Junior Championships	Bydgoszcz, Poland	8th	1500 m	3:49.59
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	25th (h)	5000 m	13:39.80
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	6th	3000 m s'chase	8:23.87
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	5th	3000 m s'chase	8:08.67
2014	Continental Cup	Marrakesh, Morocco	2nd	3000 m s'chase	8:14.08
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	6th	3000 m s'chase	8:15.47
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	2nd	3000 m s'chase	8:04.28
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	3rd	3000 m s'chase	8:15.53
2022	World Championships	Eugene, United States	6th	3000 m s'chase	8:29.08
	NACAC Championships	Freeport, Bahamas	1st	3000 m s'chase	8:22.55

Wikimedia Commons has media related toEvan Jager.

• Evan Jager atWorld Athletics
• Evan Jager atlegacy.USATF.org (archived)
• Evan Jager onTwitter

• 1989 births
• Living people
• American men middle-distance runners
• American men steeplechase runners
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics
• Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics
• Track and field athletes from Portland, Oregon
• People from Algonquin, Illinois
• Portland State University alumni
• Wisconsin Badgers men's track and field athletes
• World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States
• Olympic silver medalists for the United States in track and field
• Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
• World Athletics Championships medalists
• Track and field athletes from Illinois
• Olympic men steeplechase runners
• USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners
• 21st-century American sportsmen
• Diamond League winners

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