Geordie Beamish sprints to fifth place in the steeplechase final
New Zealand’s George “Geordie” Beamish followed his On Athletics Club teammate Alicia Monson's footsteps and claimed 5th place in Budapest.
Budapest, Hungary, August 22, 2023 - New Zealander Geordie Beamish has claimed the next top result for On and the On Athletics Club. Three days after Monson had claimed fifth in the 10,000-meter race, the 26-year-old also finished in fifth position in the 3000m steeplechase event, a discipline that he had only switched to this year.
In the first laps of the race that started at a leisurely pace, Beamish and his fellow On athlete Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui hung back in towards the end of the field, but the Kiwi bode his time and observed the movements of his competitors well. Searching the contact with the athletes running in front of him, Beamish was in a good position when the top steeplechasers in the world, Soufiane El Bakkali, and Lamecha Girma, increased the tempo in the penultimate lap. Only six athletes were able to match the pace at the beginning, and Beamish chose not to follow and risk over pacing.
Due to his clever energy management, the 26-year-old still had much left in the tank towards the end of the race. He ran the last 800 meters in a fast 2:04.5 and passed the tired athletes in front of him one by one. In his signature style, he sprinted down Japan’s Ryuju Miura on the finish straight and claimed fifth place in the most important race of the year, only five months after hurdling his first barrier. Beamish finished in 8:13.46, which was only marginally slower than his New Zealand record-breaking 8:13.26 that he'd set in July.
“This was amazing”, OAC head coach Dathan Ritzenhein commented his athlete's performance. “Turns out he can still close like nobody else, even with obstacles standing in his way. Five months after switching to steeplechase, this is just incredible!”
Fellow On athlete Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui (TUN) ended his race on rank 13 (8:23.08).
High-res images for editorial use here.
About On
On was born in the Swiss Alps with one goal: to revolutionize the sensation of running by empowering all to run on clouds. Thirteen years after market launch, On delivers industry-disrupting innovation in premium footwear, apparel, and accessories for high-performance running, outdoor, and all-day activities. Fueled by customer recommendation, On’s award-winning CloudTec® innovation, purposeful design, and groundbreaking strides in sportswear’s circular economy have attracted a fast-growing global fan base — inspiring humans to explore, discover and dream on.
On is present in more than 60 countries globally and engages with a digital community on www.on.com.