Ceili McCabe breaks Canadian 3,000m steeplechase record at LA Grand Prix

Vancouver’s Ceili McCabe had an excellent night in Los Angeles on Friday, winning the women’s 3,000m steeplechase event at the Los Angeles Grand Prix in a time of 9:20.58–surpassing the Olympic standard of 9:23.00 by two and a half seconds and setting a new Canadian record in the process. 

McCabe also defeated the 2022 world champion in the event, Norah Jeruto of Kazakhstan (who finished third). Jeruto is the subject of an ongoing doping investigation.

This will be McCabe’s first trip to the Olympics; she has represented Canada at the past two World Athletics Championships. McCabe is a nine-time All-American in cross-country and track at West Virginia University.

The previous Canadian record of 9:22.40 belonged to Geneviève Lalonde, and was set at the Tokyo Olympics; Lalonde lowered the record twice in Tokyo–once in the semi-final and again in the final. Lalonde and her partner became parents in 2023; she’s planning to race the Canadian Olympic trials in Montreal at the end of June. 

McCabe won the Canadian cross-country championships in 2023. 

Canada’s Grace Featherstonhaugh finished 11th, in 9:32.62; Alycia Butterworth was 16th, in 9:59.17. Regan Yee did not finish.

Desgagnés wins men’s steeple

Meanwhile, Jean-Simon Desgagnés won the men’s 3,000m steeplechase in 8:16.49–the second fastest time of his career and only a second and a half off the Olympic standard of 8:15:00. Desgagnés will race again at the Stockholm Diamond League on June 2.

Competition continues in Los Angeles today, with sprints, hurdles, 800m and 1,500m events. For full results, click here.