US soldier blasts through Olympic steeplechase field to qualify for final by
Buy PhotoArmy Spc. Benard Keter, in third place, nears the end of his heat of the Olympic men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at Tokyo’s National Stadium, Friday, July 30, 2021. (Seth Robson/Stars and Stripes) TOKYO – A U.S. soldier ran a personal best on the first morning of Olympic track and field competition in Japan’s capital city to qualify for the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase final. Army Spc. Benard Keter, 29, a native of Kenya who calls Lubbock, Texas, his home, completed the grueling obstacle course in 8:17.31 on Friday. The course on an Olympic track is studded with 3-foot-high wooden barriers and a 12-foot-long water obstacle.