Emma Coburn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Emma Coburn

Coburn at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Born	(1990-10-19) October 19, 1990 (age 34) Boulder, Colorado, U.S.
Employer	New Balance
Height	5 ft 8 in
Weight	120 lb
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Athletics/Track
Event(s)	Steeplechase, 3000 meters, 1500 meters
College team	Colorado Buffaloes
Coached by	Joe Bosshard
Achievements and titles
World finals	2011 Daegu 3000 m s'chase, 8th 2015 Beijing 3000 m s'chase, 5th 2017 London 3000 m s'chase, 1 Gold 2019 Doha 3000 m s'chase, 2 Silver 2022 Eugene 3000 m s'chase, 8th
Olympic finals	2012 London 3000 m s'chase, 8th 2016 Rio de Janeiro 3000 m s'chase, 3 Bronze 2020 Tokyo 3000 m s'chase, 14th DQ
Personal best(s)	800 m: 2:01.10 (Los Angeles 2020) 1500 m: 4:03.82 (Nashville 2020) Mile: 4:23.65 (Marion 2020) 3000 m: 8:48.60 (Birmingham 2017) 5000 m: 15:24.76 (Austin 2021) 2000 m s'chase: 6:44.42 (Greensboro 2008) 3000 m s'chase: 9:02.35 (Doha 2019) Indoors 1000 m: 2:52.43 (College Station 2009) 1500 m: 4:12.31 (New York 2013) Mile: 4:29.86 i (New York 2013) 2000 m: 5:41.11 (Boston 2015) 3000 m: 8:39.19 i + (Staten Island 2021) 2-Mile: 9:15.71 a (Staten Island 2021) Road Mile: 4:20.3 a (New York 2018)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro 3000 m s'chase World Championships Gold 2017 London 3000 m s'chase Silver 2019 Doha 3000 m s'chase Representing Americas Continental Cup Gold 2014 Marrakech 3000 m s'chase

Emma Jane Coburn, born on October 19, 1990, is an American runner. She is best known for competing in the 3000-meter steeplechase. This event involves running over barriers and water jumps. Emma is a world champion, a world silver medalist, and an Olympic bronze medalist. She has also competed in three Olympic Games and won the US National Championship in the steeplechase ten times.

At the 2017 World Championships in London, Emma made history. She won the gold medal, becoming the first American since 1952 to win a world steeplechase title. During this race, she set a new championship record of 9:02.58. She also broke her own American record by five seconds.

Emma has been an Olympian three times, joining the US team in 2012, 2016, and 2020. At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, she won the bronze medal. This made her the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in a steeplechase event. Her finishing time of 9:07.63 set a new American record at that time.

Her other achievements in the steeplechase include a silver medal at the 2019 World Championships in Doha. She also reached the 2012 Olympic final, finishing 8th. Emma competed in the World Championship finals in 2011 (10th place) and 2015 (5th place). She also won the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup. Emma is a ten-time United States National Champion, winning the event every year she competed from 2011 to 2022 (except 2013 and 2020 when she didn't compete or the event was cancelled).

High School Running Journey

Emma Coburn went to Crested Butte Community School. She was a talented athlete who played many sports. These included cross-country, volleyball, basketball, and track.

In 2007, when she was a junior, she went to Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was there to run an 800-meter race. Her father encouraged her to run another event to make the long trip worthwhile. Due to scheduling, the only option was the 2,000-meter steeplechase. Emma had never run this race before and knew little about it. Surprisingly, she won the race and qualified for the high school national meet. This unexpected moment started her steeplechase career. In 2008, she finished second in the 2000-meter steeplechase at the Nike Outdoor Nationals Track and Field Championships.

College Running Journey

Emma Coburn attended the University of Colorado from 2008 to 2013. There, she became a three-time NCAA champion. She won two steeplechase titles and one indoor mile title. She also earned All-America honors six times.

Cross-Country Success

Emma ran cross-country from 2008 to 2011. In her senior year, she earned All-PAC-12 First Team, all-region, and All-America honors. She helped her team, the Buffs, win their first PAC-12 title. They also tied for first place in the regional championships. Her team finished 11th at the NCAA National Cross-Country Championships. Emma's 20th-place finish helped her team achieve this result.

Track and Field Highlights

Emma joined the track team in 2009. She tried several events before focusing on the steeplechase. She qualified for the NCAA Championships in Fayetteville. She reached the final after setting a personal record (PR) of 10:06.21. This was also a USA Junior record. In the final, she finished 11th, completing her first season.

In 2010, Emma won the PAC-12 steeplechase title as a sophomore. She then finished second in the NCAA championships.

As a junior in 2011, Emma won both the PAC-12 indoor 3000-meters title and the PAC-12 3000-meters steeplechase title. She then won the NCAA 3000-meters steeplechase title. She also won the 2011 USA outdoor title in the steeplechase. This allowed her to join the US steeplechase team for the 2011 World Championships, where she finished 12th.

In 2012, Emma did not compete for her college team. She took a "redshirt" year, meaning she could focus on the US Olympic Trials. In her first steeplechase race of 2012, Emma became the fourth-fastest American ever. Her time of 9:25.28 was the fastest American time on US soil. This was a 12-second personal record for her.

She qualified for the 2012 London Olympic Games in the 3000-meters steeplechase. Her University of Colorado teammate, Shalaya Kipp, also qualified. At 21, Emma was the youngest runner on the 2012 US Olympic team. In her first Olympics, she placed third in her preliminary race. This automatically qualified her for the final. She finished ninth in the final, setting a new personal best time of 9:23.54.

Emma returned to the University of Colorado in 2013 as a fifth-year senior. She was named PAC-12 Track Athlete of the Week in April 2013. This was after she recorded the best 3000-meters steeplechase time in the world for that season. On June 8, 2013, at the NCAA Championships, Emma ran her final college race. She won her second NCAA steeplechase title with a time of 9:35.38. She finished three seconds ahead of Colleen Quigley.

Professional Running Career

Starting as a Pro (2013-2014)

After college, Emma Coburn became a professional runner. In June 2013, she signed a contract with New Balance. Soon after, she announced she had a sacral stress fracture. This injury meant she would miss the 2013 Moscow World Championships. She also had to sit out the rest of the 2013 professional track season. The injury happened during her last college race.

In 2014, Emma improved her 3000-meters steeplechase best four times. In May, she won her first Diamond League race in Shanghai. She then improved her time at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene. Four weeks later, she won her third US title in Sacramento. In July, she ran 9:14.12 in Paris, moving to second on the US all-time list. A week later, in Glasgow, she broke Jenny Simpson's American record. She ran 9:11.42, finishing second. In September, Emma won the 2014 IAAF Continental Cup in Marrakesh, Morocco. She finished ahead of the world's top steeplechase runner, Hiwot Ayalew.

World Championships and Olympic Medals (2015-2019)

In 2015, Emma qualified for the 2015 World Championships in Athletics. She placed fifth in the steeplechase.

Coburn celebrates her bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

In 2016, Emma set a new American record at the Prefontaine Classic. She ran 9:10.76 in the 3000 meters steeplechase. She broke the American record for the third time at the 2016 Olympic steeplechase. She earned a bronze medal with a time of 9:07.63. This made her the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in the 3000 meters steeplechase.

In December 2016, Emma announced she was changing coaches. She began training with Joe Bosshard, who was her fiancé at the time.

In January 2017, Emma, along with Sydney McLaughlin, Brenda Martinez, and Jenny Simpson, set a world-best time. They ran 10:40.31 in the Distance Medley Relay (DMR). This happened at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston. Even though it was an indoor race, it was a remarkable achievement. Emma ran the first part of the relay.

Emma Coburn (R) triumphs at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London.

On August 11, 2017, Emma won gold at the 2017 World Championships in London. This made her the first American woman to win a gold medal in the steeplechase at either the World Championships or the Olympics. Four of the women she beat had run faster than her before. Courtney Frerichs won a silver medal in the same event. This was the first time Americans won both gold and silver in a long-distance race at the World Championships or Olympics since 1912.

In November 2017, Emma received the prestigious Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award. This award is given annually by USATF to the top female athlete of the year.

In January 2018, Emma ran a Colorado state record mile indoors. She then competed in two 3000-meter races. She finished third in the 3000 meters at the 2018 USA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

Coburn races at the 2019 USATF Championships.

On June 30, 2019, she finished second in the steeplechase at the Diamond League Prefontaine Classic. The world record-holder, Beatrice Chepkoech, won the race. On July 28, Emma won the USATF Championships. As the defending World Champion, she automatically qualified for the 2019 World Championships. At the Worlds, Emma won the silver medal, setting a personal record of 9:02.35.

Recent Seasons (2020-2024)

Emma started her 2020 season in January, finishing third in a two-mile race. In March, she finished fourth in the Napa Valley half marathon.

In June 2021, Emma qualified for her third Olympic Games. She finished first in the 3000 meters steeplechase at the US Olympic Trials. At the Tokyo Olympics, she placed 14th in the final. However, she was later disqualified for touching the track's railing after falling.

In June 2022, she competed in the steeplechase at the USATF Championship. She won her 10th national title. Emma became emotional when asked about her favorite national championship. She said the 10th title was special because it made up for her disappointing Tokyo Olympic performance. It also meant she could enjoy more races with her mother, who was battling cancer.

From July 16-20, 2022, Emma competed in her fifth World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon. She finished eighth in the 3000-meters steeplechase final. After the World Championships, she ran three more steeplechase events.

On September 11, 2022, Emma ran in the Fifth Avenue Mile in New York City. She finished 10th among professional women runners.

On February 4, 2023, Emma started her 2023 season. She competed in the women's mile at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix. She finished seventh with a personal best time of 4:28.84. This beat her previous best from 2013. She also set an indoor personal best for the 1500 meters.

On February 18, 2023, she joined Team USA in Australia for the 2023 World Athletics Cross Country Championships. Emma was part of Team USA's mixed relay team, which finished fifth. She ran the second part of the race and helped improve Team USA's position. This was the first time Emma ran in a team event since college.

In May 2024, while competing at the Shanghai Diamond League, Emma suffered a serious injury. She tore ligaments, damaged cartilage, and fractured a bone in her ankle. This injury required surgery. Because of it, Emma was unable to compete at the Olympic Trials. She had hoped to qualify for her fourth Olympics.

Achievements

Emma Coburn (R) races at the 2018 USATF Championships.

International Competitions

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Time
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	8th	3000 m s'chase	9:51.40
2012	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	8th	3000 m s'chase	9:23.54
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	5th	3000 m s'chase	9:21.78
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	3rd	3000 m s'chase	9:07.63
2017	World Championships	London, United Kingdom	1st	3000 m s'chase	9:02.58 CR
2019	World Championships	Doha, Qatar	2nd	3000 m s'chase	9:02.35 PR
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo, Japan	14th DQ	3000 m s'chase	9:41.50
2022	World Championships	Eugene, OR, United States	8th	3000 m s'chase	9:16.49
2023	World Championships	Budapest, Hungary	28th (h)	3000 m s'chase	9:41.52

National Championships

About Emma's Life

In October 2017, Emma Coburn married her longtime boyfriend, Joe Bosshard. He had also started coaching her earlier that year. In October 2024, the couple announced the birth of their daughter, Betty Ann Bosshard, who was born via surrogate.

Emma founded the annual Elk Run 5k. This event helps raise money for the Crested Butte Cancer Support Community.

See also

In Spanish: Emma Coburn para niños