Soufiane El bakkali

"I realized I was starting to open up a little bit of a gap and I'm like, ‘Oh my gosh, am I going to win?’ I probably was looking around way too much. But in my mind I was like, ‘Is this really happening right now? That’s what was going through my head. It was just adrenaline and just taking in the moment of, ‘Wow, this is incredible. Is this really happening?’ Then just trying to dig deep to finish the race."

Kenneth Rooks just brought home a silver medal in the men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at the Paris Olympics. How’d he do it? Well, if you haven’t watched the race yet. Go on NBC Sports’ YouTube channel, watch it and then pick this podcast back up because he comes from the back of the pack to nearly pull off one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. His final time of 8:06.41 shattered his personal best by an astounding nine seconds and makes him the second-fastest American ever in this event.

Kenneth’s past 14 months have been amazing. Just a year ago, he was relatively unknown on the international stage, but after winning the NCAA title, the U.S. Championships in dramatic fashion by falling and getting back up and now an Olympic silver, he’s shown the world what he’s capable of. We have at least two past episodes with Kenneth that you can go back and listen to.

In a race dominated by the likes of world record holder Lamecha Girma and defending Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali, Kenneth’s surge in the final lap put everyone on notice. He boldly took the lead with 400 meters to go, and although El Bakkali eventually reclaimed the top spot, Kenneth’s audacious run secured him a place in history.

It was one of the biggest surprises of the Games but Kenneth takes us through why he believes it was possible, the training it took to get there and why he believes he can go a little faster. He’s just 24 years old and just getting started.

Host: Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Guest: Kenneth Rooks | ⁠⁠⁠@kenneth_rooks on Instagram

TIME STAMPS

5:35 - Reflecting on his experience at the Olympics

7:12 - The support he received from his family and the BYU community

10:09 - His improvement between the U.S. Trials and the Olympics

14:04 - What stood out most from the steeplechase prelim

16:06 - When he shifted his mindset to going for a medal + his race plan

19:41 - Rai Benjamin’s parting words to him before the final

20:26 - Breaking down the bell lap of the final

23:02 - “The Kenneth Rooks side-eye”

27:15 - Reactions after finishing the steeplechase final

30:05 - Coach Ed Eyestone’s reaction to him getting silver

31:12 - How he celebrated after

32:35 - What's next for him this season

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The sixth day of track and field at the Olympics was another huge one for Team USA! Quincy Hall claimed the 400m gold medal while Kenneth Rooks shocked the world with a silver medal finish in the 3000m steeplechase. As the events roll on, it’s clear that the American athletes are making a big splash and setting the stage for an exciting finish to the Games. In tonight’s edition of the Torch Talk, the team breaks down…

– Quincy Hall won the Olympic gold in the 400m at Paris 2024 in 43.40, making him the 4th-fastest man ever. Brit Matthew Hudson-Smith took bronze and Muzala Samukonga of Zambia took bronze. This was the fastest 400m race in history, as five men dipped under 44 seconds.

– Soufiane El Bakkali became the first man in nearly 100 years to successfully defend his Olympic steeplechase gold, winning with a time of 8:06.05. Kenneth Rooks won silver with a big PB, and Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya won bronze.

– Nina Kennedy won the women's pole vault at the Paris 2024 Olympics, clearing a height of 4.90m. Her gold is the first at an Olympics by an Australian female vaulter. Reigning Olympic champ Katie Moon finished in silver, and Alysha Newman broke the Canadian record to win bronze.

– Roje Stona of Jamaica set a new Olympic record with a 70.00-meter throw, earning the gold medal in men's discus in Paris. This marks Jamaica's first gold medal at the Paris Games and the nation's first-ever Olympic gold in men's discus.

– In the 110m hurdles semifinal, Grant Holloway posted the fastest time of the day at 12.98 seconds. American athletes Daniel Roberts and Freddie Crittenden also advanced to the final.

HOSTS:

Chris Chavez | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@chris_j_chavez on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mac Fleet | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@macfleet on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

Mitch Dyer | ⁠@metchosketch on Instagram⁠

Eric Jenkins | @_ericjenkins on Instagram

Aisha Praught Leer | @aishapraughtleer on Instagram

Katelyn Hutchison | @_kxnaomi on Instagram

We’re excited to have a full CITIUS MAG team on the ground in Paris providing daily live shows before and after the action, including interviews with competing athletes, our TORCH TALK recap show, and the return of GOOD MORNING TRACK AND FIELD.

Make sure you’re subscribed to the CITIUS MAG YouTube channel for live shows

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"I gained a lot of experience being in different races with different strategies and race situations. Competing at the World Championships was amazing. Competing in the prelim and final were two very different races, both of which I hadn't experienced before. I learned a lot from that. I'm excited to have had that experience, especially going into this year as an Olympic year, with the Olympic aspirations that I have. I have a lot of confidence that I can compete with the best in the world."

BYU’s Kenneth Rooks, the 2023 NCAA steeplechase champion and the U.S. champion, has decided to forego the remainder of his NCAA eligibility to turn professional and has signed a contract with Nike.

He plans to stay in Utah under coach Ed Eyestone and will train alongside Conner Mantz and Clayton Young.

Rooks was one of the NCAA’s breakout stars in 2023. He caught the attention of many with an 8:17.62 win over George Beamish and ‘22 U.S. champion Hillary Bor at the On Track Nights: Los Angeles meet in May. He backed up that performance by winning the NCAA title a month later in Austin, Texas. At the U.S. Championships. Rooks went viral after falling during the race but managed to recover in the closing stages to win in a personal best of 8:16.78. The video of that race has been watched nearly half a million times on YouTube.

At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Rooks made his debut for Team USA by beating out Olympic champion and reigning world champion Soufiane El Bakkali in the prelims. Rooks went on to take 10th in the final.

Rooks says there were opportunities to turn pro after the summer but he chose to return to BYU for one more cross country season. We reflect on his BYU career, the highlights of 2023 and what it was like going so viral outside of the track world and into the greater sports world. Plus, a few stories of his mission in Uganda.

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☕️ THE CITIUS CAFE (PRESENTED BY HOKA) will be open for the weekend of the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials in Orlando. We’re super stoked to share that we will be partnering with HOKA for all of the weekend’s festivities next month in Florida – which will include live panels with special guests, giveaways, a big shakeout run and a race day watchalong from the CITIUS Cafe at 151 E Washington St.

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Chris Chavez, Kyle Merber, Jasmine Todd, and special guest Mitch Dyer recap Day 4 at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest! Day 4 was another action-packed evening – Laulauga Tausaga threw a massive personal best to win the women’s discus, Faith Kipyegon led the women’s 1500m final wire-to-wire, and Soufiane El Bakkali added another title to his name in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Some of the highlights of Day 4 include:

–  Women’s discus: Laulauga Tausaga stole the show with an epic final throw to claim the gold medal + the U.S. goes 1-2 with Val Allman snagging the silver medal.

– Men’s 3000m steeplechase final: Championship veteran Soufiane El Bakkali won the title over world record holder Lamecha Girma + George Beamish placed 5th in his debut season.

– Women’s 1500m final: Faith Kipyegon dominated the final + Ciara Mageean continued her breakout season with a 4th place finish.

– Men’s high jump: Fans went nuts for Gianmarco Tamberini’s victory!

– Women’s 400m hurdles semifinal: Shamier Little ran the fastest qualifying time out of the semifinal + Femke Bol advanced to the final effortlessly.

– Much more

As an official partner of World Athletics, ASICS is proud to support all of CITIUS MAG’s content throughout this year’s World Athletics Championships Budapest 2023. CITIUS MAG is the premier destination for real-time competition updates, in-depth analysis and interviews with your favorite track and field athletes.

CITIUS MAG LIVE AT WORLDS: The show will air on the CITIUS MAG YouTube Channel between the morning and evening sessions of competition (Every day at 8 a.m. EST in the U.S.). 

CHAMPS CHATS ON THE CITIUS MAG PODCAST DAILY: The CITIUS MAG team of Chris, Kyle, David McCarthy, Jasmine Todd and Katelyn Hutchison will unpack all of the day’s biggest surprises and offer up their insights and analysis from being at the new National Athletics Centre and interviewing athletes each day. The podcast recording will be streamed on YouTube at the end of every day and will be also available on The CITIUS MAG Podcast feed on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you listen to shows. 

DAILY CITIUS MAG NEWSLETTER: David Melly will recap all of the biggest moments, highlighting his must-watch athletes and events for each day while also pulling together some of our best content, photos and social moments that the CITIUS MAG team captures.

Reacting to Faith Kipyegon & Soufiane El Bakkali's wins on day four at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Presented by: Wonderful Pistachios Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices