If you tuned into the penultimate Diamond League meet of the season on Friday in Brussels, you might have seen track and field’s newest experiment: the one-mile steeplechase. The event turned one of the sport’s least popular disciplines into four fast laps of barriers and water jumps, making for a solid first impression.
Winfred Yavi 🇧🇭 makes history in her debut at the women’s 1-mile steeplechase, clocking a remarkable 4:40.13 to take gold at the #BrusselsDL, a new World Best!
Angelina Ellis 🇺🇸 finished second in 4:46.74, with Olivia Gurth 🇩🇪 claiming third in 4:51.87.
This event will… pic.twitter.com/6btxlPYSDY
— RunBlogRun (@RunBlogRun) August 22, 2025
Burundi’s Winfred Yavi, the reigning Olympic champion in the 3,000m steeplechase, won the inaugural Diamond League steeple mile in 4:40.19, establishing a world best time that will stand until the event becomes record-eligible in 2026. Yavi went out hard with a 64-second opening lap (4:16 mile pace) before fading slightly but still held off American Angelina Ellis, who finished six seconds behind.
The new discipline drew praise from athletes. Three-time Olympian and 10-time U.S. steeplechase champion Emma Coburn posted on X: “The mile steeplechase looks SO much fun. Good job!”
The mile steeplechase looks SO much fun. Good job @WinfredYavi 🤗
— emma coburn (@emmajcoburn) August 22, 2025
“It’s an unusual distance—normally it’s 3,000m, so I ran faster than I normally do,” Yavi told reporters. “It felt harder than the 3,000m; I had to change my jumps since I was running faster toward the steeple.”
Unlike the traditional 3,000m steeplechase, the mile version includes a water jump on the very first lap, just before 300m, along with three additional barriers per lap, 12 total for the race.
World Athletics to introduce a 4x100m mixed relay and steeplechase mile
World Athletics president Sebastian Coe introduced the concept last year in an effort to create a faster-paced, more spectator-friendly race. The steeple mile is even being considered for next year’s Ultimate Athletics Championship in Budapest.
