The Kiwi steeplechaser says a potentially disastrous fall in the heats may have been a blessing in disguise before he went on to make history in Tokyo
H
e is the straight-talking, big-kicking and now giant-killing star of these World Athletics Championships, so when Kiwi George Beamish won a remarkable men’s 3000m steeplechase on Monday night, it was a shame his performance didn’t immediately garner more attention.
His glory came just as Armand Duplantis was hypnotising the global audience with his latest pole vault world record. And with not a single journalist from New Zealand in Tokyo to celebrate the country’s first outdoor track world championships medal, Beamish was left talking to only a small clutch of reporters.
But the 28-year-old, who hosts a podcast with two Australian runners, is hard to ignore when near a microphone. He cursed repeatedly when speaking after his triumph, reflecting on two years during which injury stalled the transition of the 2024 1500m World Indoor Championship gold medallist to the steeplechase.
