Evan Jager was not about to let anyone take the 3,000-meter steeplechase away from him. He knew he was competing against other talented runners, but if he was going to be kept off the medal stand, he was at least going to employ a strategy that suited his running style.
That meant going to the front of the pack and pushing the pace as hard as he could. Jager executed that strategy, and it led to a silver-medal finish in the steeplechase event. The only runner to get the best of Jager was Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya, who set an Olympic record with a time of 8:03.