Courtney Wayment claimed 12th place in the women’s steeplechase final at the Olympics on Tuesday with a time of 9:13.60.
She was near the back of the pack for much of the race, and she finished about three seconds slower than she did in Sunday’s preliminary round.
Still, Wayment’s performance is something to celebrate, since the former BYU star was the top American finisher in Tuesday’s event.
That helps explain why Wayment appeared very happy in a brief video shared on X by BYU Track & Field after her race.
“I just finished my first Olympics and my first Olympic final. I ran the smartest race that I could have. I’m very proud,” she said.
Wayment’s fellow American, Valerie Constien, struggled during the second half of the race and finished in 15th place with a time of 9:34.08.
Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won the gold medal and set a new Olympic record in the process. She finished in 8:52.76.
Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai, the steeplechase gold medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, got the silver medal with a time of 8:53.34.
Faith Cherotich of Kenya crossed the finish line in 8:55.15 and won the bronze medal.