Evan Jager
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
March 8, 1989 Algonquin, Illinois |
| Residence | Portland, Oregon |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 145 lb (66 kg) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Running |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) |
5000 m: 13:02.40 |
Evan Reese Jager (born March 8, 1989) is an American distance runner, and the current American record holder in the 3000m steeplechase. He is currently sponsored by Nike and trains under the tutelage of his coach, Jerry Schumacher.
High school
Jager attended Jacobs High School in Algonquin, Illinois, a satellite community northwest of Chicago.[1] As a junior, he placed 9th at the Foot Locker Cross Country Championships in San Diego.[2] That same year he would lower his personal best in the mile run to 4:08.15, winning the Midwest Distance Gala.
His senior year, he ran 8:47.59 in the 2-Mile at the Nike Outdoor Nationals, which was good for 4th place. The following day he placed 3rd in the mile competition, despite competing in the "B" heat, his time of 4:05.68 beating all but two of the entrants in the top heat. During his high school career he won three individual State Championship titles and one relay title. 2006, 4X800m Relay (7:40.02), 2006, 1600M (4:11.22), 2006, (Sr.year) Cross Country State Champ (3 mi) 14:07, 2007, Track 3200m (8:52.33). HS personal Bests: 800m, (1:51.42), Mile, (4:05.68), 2 Mile, (8:47.59).
College
Jager chose to attend the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he would compete for the Badgers under the charge of coach Jerry Schumacher.[3] He did not compete his freshman year at the NCAA Championships for Cross Country or Indoor Track, but in the spring of 2008, Jager placed 8th in the 1500 metres at the NCAA Outdoor Track Championships.[4]
The summer after his freshman year, Jager represented the United States in the 2008 IAAF World Junior Track and Field Championships. He made the finals of the 1500 meters and finished 8th in 3:49.59.
That fall, Jager signed a professional contract with Nike, forfeiting his remaining NCAA eligibility. He left the University of Wisconsin and moved to Portland to continue training with Schumacher, who had been hired by Nike to be a full-time coach to professional Nike-sponsored runners. Jager enrolled in Portland State University to continue his studies.[3]
Professional Career
Jager competed in his first USATF Outdoor Championship in the 5000 m, where he took the lead with 200 m to go before finishing in third place behind teammates Matt Tegenkamp and Chris Solinsky. By finishing third, Jager earned the opportunity to represent the United States at the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin. At the World Championships, Jager placed 11th in his heat of the 5000 m, and did not advance to the final.
Much of Jager's first season as a professional was documented in the Runner's World web series "Wisconsin to Worlds," which followed the teammates' historic sweep at the US Championships and their European season, as they prepared for the 2009 IAAF World Championships.[5]
In early 2010, Jager experienced pain in his foot during training runs. After taking some time off, he returned to competition, but the pain persisted, culminating in a stress fracture he received during the 1500m final at the USA Outdoor Championships, June 25, 2010. On July 28, 2010 he had surgery to repair a fracture in the navicular bone of his foot.
Recuperation from his surgery took time, with pool and bike workouts substituting for running. He didn't do any serious running workouts until March 2011, with the remainder of that track season being an essential, gradual return to high level training rather than a season of competitive racing.
In spring of 2012, under the guidance of his coach, Jerry Schumacher and former U.S. steeplechase champion Pascal Dobert, Jager switched to the 3000m steeplechase. He made his debut at the Mt. Sac relays in April 2012. He won that race in 8:26.14, a stunning time for a neophyte and close to the 8:23.1 Olympic A standard necessary for participation in the London Games. During this race, he also beat America's best steeplechaser up to that point, Daniel Huling who is now one of his training partners. Jager followed through on this auspicious performance by comfortably winning the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Trials 3000m steeplechase in 8:17.40.[6][7]
On July 20, 2012, Jager broke the American record in the 3000 m steeplechase, running 8:06.81. On August 5, Jager competed in the Olympics, finishing 6th in the event final. After the Olympics, on August 17 Jager ran a new personal best of 7:35 in the 3000 m at the Stockholm Diamond League meet, finishing 5th.
Jager kicked off the 2013 indoor season at the Millrose Games two-mile, where he finished fourth in 8:14.95 to winner Bernard Lagat, who set the American record in that race. This made Jager the fourth fastest American indoor two-miler of all time. He was fifth in the New York Columbia Qualifier 5000m, where he finished in a time of 13:33.37. Later on in the season he finished 2nd in the indoor mile at the Seattle Husky Classic in 3:56.14, where he got nipped at the line by his teammate, Andrew Bumbalough.
Jager raced sparingly during the outdoor season before the U.S. Championships. He ran 13:14.60 which was good for 2nd to Saucony's Ben True at the Payton Jordan Cardinal Invitational. He also placed second in the Oxy HP 1500m in 3:36.34. At the Prefontaine Classic he placed 4th in a time of 8:08.6, only two seconds off his American record. He followed up these personal record performances with an easy win at the USATF Outdoor Championships 3000m Steeplechase, where he finished in 8:20.67, giving him the opportunity to represent the USA at the IAAF World Championships in Moscow for the second time, and also winning him his second consecutive 3000m Steeplechase national title. During his European outdoor season, he ran a 3k in Luzern which was his only race between USAs and Worlds. Jager went into Worlds wanting to improve on his 6th place in the London Olympics. He won his qualifying round of the Steeplechase in Moscow in what seemed to be an easy effort. He went on to place fifth in the final, getting out-leaned by Kenya's Paul Koech. Although he only improved one place from the 2012 Olympics, he put himself in the race and was there with 400 meters to go, with the gap to 6th place being about 3 to 4 seconds. To round out his 2013 season, he raced the 5000m at the Brussels Diamond League Meet, lowering his personal best by 12 seconds, to 13:02.40.
Major competition record
Representing the  United States | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | World Junior Championships | Bydgoszcz, Poland | 8th | 1500 m | 3:49.59 | |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | 11th (h) | 5000 m | 13:39.80 | |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | 6th | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:23.87 | |
| 2013 | World Championships | Moscow, Russia | 5th | 3000 m steeplechase | 8:08.67 | |
Personal bests (outdoor)
| Distance | Performance | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 3:36.34 | May 17, 2013 |
| Mile | 3:54.35 | June 7, 2009 |
| 3000 m | 7:35.16 | August 17, 2012 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:06.81 | July 20, 2012 |
| 5000 m | 13:02.40 | September 6, 2013 |
References
- ↑ "Player Profile: Evan Jager". Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. 2006-11-10. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ↑ Gerweck, Jim. "HS Profile: Evan Jager". Running Times Magazine. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Pyle, Stephen. "Evan Jager Eager to Take on Worlds". Running Times Magazine. Retrieved 2010-03-09.
- ↑ "NCAA Division I 2008 Outdoor, results 1500 m men". Flash Results, Inc. 2008-06-11. Archived from the original on 2010-09-26. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
- ↑ "'Wisconsin to Worlds' video series debuts". UWBadgers.com. CBS Interactive.
- ↑ "'Brief Chat: Evan Jager, New Steeplechaser'".
- ↑ "'Jager, Brooks off to London with late surges'".
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Evan Jager. |
- Evan Jager profile at IAAF
- Jager's biography at USA Track & Field
