Evan Jager has retired from professional track and field after competing at the highest level for 18 years. The 36-year-old steeplechaser holds the North American record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase and won medals at two major global championships.
Jager’s career began as a middle-distance runner. He competed in the 1500m at the 2008 World U20 Championships and made the final. By 2009, at age 20, he had moved up to the 5000m and represented the United States at the World Championships in Berlin.
The Chicago native switched to the steeplechase in 2012. In only his third race in the event, he won the US Olympic Trials. His breakthrough came at the Monaco Diamond League meet that summer when he broke the North American record with a time of 8:06.81. He then placed sixth at the London Olympic Games.
Jager’s best performances came between 2015 and 2017. He finished sixth at the 2015 World Championships, though his time of 8:00.45 broke his own continental record. That race could have been even faster—Jager was on pace to break eight minutes when he hit the final barrier and fell. He got up quickly and sprinted to the finish line, but the stumble cost him both the victory and a chance at running under eight minutes.
He reached the podium at the next two global championships. Jager earned the silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. One year later, he claimed bronze at the 2017 World Championships in London.
Injuries slowed Jager’s career starting in 2018. He won his seventh straight US title in the steeplechase that year but had to skip the Continental Cup due to an ankle problem. Foot and calf injuries kept him out of competition for nearly 18 months after that.
Jager returned to form in 2022. He finished second at the US Championships, sixth at the World Championships, and won gold at the NACAC Championships. He missed most of 2023 but came back in 2024. At the US Olympic Trials, he placed fourth and narrowly missed making the team for the Paris Olympics.
“Track and field has been a part of my life for two thirds of my life and now it’s time to say goodbye,” Jager wrote on Instagram this week. “I’m thankful that I achieved close to everything I thought was possible as a young kid when I started getting really serious about the sport. I’m very proud of everything I was able to accomplish. Beyond the medals and PBs, I was able to challenge myself, push myself and learn so many things about myself that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Now it’s time for me to contribute to the sport in other ways. As one door closes, another opens.”
Jager won two medals at global championships during his career. His North American record of 8:00.45 still stands after nine years.
