Emma Coburn — Biography

Born on October 19, 1990, Emma Coburn is an American athlete renowned for her prowess in middle-distance running, particularly in the 3000-meter steeplechase. Her decorated career boasts a world championship gold medal, a world championship silver medal, an Olympic bronze medal, and participation in three Olympic Games. Coburn also holds the remarkable distinction of being a ten-time United States National Champion in her signature event. A pivotal moment arrived at the 2017 World Championships in London, where she achieved a historic gold medal, becoming the first American woman to claim a world steeplechase title since 1952. During that victorious performance, she not only set a championship record with a time of 9:02.58 but also surpassed her own American record by a significant margin of five seconds. Her Olympic journey has seen her represent the United States in 2012, 2016, and 2020. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she earned a bronze medal, making history as the first American woman to stand on the Olympic podium in the steeplechase. Her time of 9:07.63 in that race was a new American record at the time. Beyond these monumental achievements, Coburn secured a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. She also reached the Olympic final in 2012, finishing eighth, and competed in World Championship finals in 2011 (10th place) and 2015 (5th place). Her victories extend to the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup, and she has proven dominant at the national level, winning the US National Championship in every year she has competed: 2011, 2012, 2014 through 2019, and 2021 and 2022.