Courtney Frerichs

Courtney Frerichs, born on January 18, 1993, in Nixa, Missouri, is a distinguished American middle-distance runner and steeplechase specialist. With a remarkable career, she has earned three silver medals in the 3000 meters steeplechase, showcasing her talent at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, the 2017 World Championships in London, and the 2018 World (Continental) Cup in Ostrava.

Frerichs made history in 2021 by becoming the first American woman to complete a women’s 3000-meters steeplechase event in under nine minutes, clocking in at eight minutes and fifty-seven point seventy-seven seconds. This achievement not only established an American record but also set a new Area record, further solidifying her status in the sport.

As a two-time Olympian, Frerichs represented the United States in both the 2016 and 2020 Olympic Games. In each of her Olympic Trials, she finished second to the US National Champion, Emma Coburn. Their historic performance at the 2017 World Championships, where they secured the gold and silver medals, marked a significant milestone as the first female Americans to achieve this in any individual World Championships or Olympics race longer than four hundred meters since the 1912 Stockholm Games.

Frerichs continued to impress at the Herculis meet in Monaco on July 20, 2018, where she finished second behind Beatrice Chepkoech's world record performance. Her time of nine minutes and zero point eighty-five seconds not only surpassed Coburn's record but also placed her sixth on the all-time fastest list. Additionally, she won the steeplechase NCAA title at the 2016 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships as a Lobo, setting a collegiate record of nine minutes and twenty-four point forty-one seconds.