BYU’s “Rockstar” Rooks earns Olympic silver medal in Paris in men’s steeplechase

Showcasing the popular track events, Paris' tallest building, rectangular and black, is wrapped in the image of an Olympic runner like Utahn Rooks. Photo: Augie Roepke

PARIS — On Wednesday night, BYU track and field alum Kenneth Rooks earned the silver medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase final at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. 

With his 8:06.41 finish, Rooks ran the seventh-fastest time in the event in Olympic history. Rooks becomes the third American male to medal in the event since 1984 and seventh all-time.

“The goal was to get out and stay relaxed,” said Rooks to BYU post-race. “If the race went out fast, I was going to be okay being toward the back. I just wanted to conserve as much energy as possible, but stay within striking distance. I was nervous, especially with where I had positioned myself, but we all were really in it as we got later in the race. I just got up in position to make that move at the end.”

With his performance in Paris, Rooks became the ninth all-time BYU track and field medalist. He became the first male athlete from the BYU track and field program to medal at the Olympic Games since Frank Fredericks in the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games who represented Team Namibia. He is just the third BYU men’s track and field athlete to medal for Team USA. He joins Ralph Mann (1972 Munich Olympic Games 400m silver medalist) and Alma Richards (1912 Stockholm Olympic Games high jump gold medalist) in that category. 

The distance runner from Walla Walla, Washington, began the race in the back of the field. Calculating his moves, Rooks sped up to maintain a close position to 2021 Olympic gold medalist Soufiane El Bakkali in the middle of the pack with two laps remaining. Rooks made his move with a surge in the final lap to lead the field in first. El Bakkali caught the BYU alum inside the last 50m to take gold, while Rooks crossed in second in 8:06.41, besting his previous personal best by nearly nine seconds. 

Rooks is the first medalist coached under BYU director of track and field and two-time Olympian Ed Eyestone. Since turning professional, Rooks has continued his training under Eyestone. He joins fellow Cougar alums Conner Mantz and Clayton Young, who are also trained by the BYU coach. Mantz and Young will represent the United States in the men’s marathon in Paris on Saturday. 

The NBC Commentator said, “Rooks is a bit of a rockstar at BYU.”

BYU middle distance runners James Corrigan, Whitni Morgan, and Courtney Wayment represented the USA in the Paris Olympics but ultimately did not qualify for the finals.