| Event: | Men's 3000 metres steeplechase |
| Games: | 2008 Summer |
| Venue: | Beijing National Stadium |
| Dates: | August 16 (heats) August 18 (final) |
| Competitors: | 40 |
| Nations: | 27 |
| Gold: | Brimin Kiprop Kipruto |
| Goldnoc: | KEN |
| Silver: | Mahiedine Mekhissi-Benabbad |
| Silvernoc: | FRA |
| Bronze: | Richard Kipkemboi Mateelong |
| Bronzenoc: | KEN |
| Prev: | 2004 |
| Next: | 2012 |
The Men's 3000 metres steeplechase at the 2008 Olympic Games took place on 16–18 August at the Beijing Olympic Stadium.[1] The winning margin was 0.15 seconds which as of 2024 remains the only time the men's steeplechase was won by less than 0.3 seconds at the Olympics.
The qualifying standards were 8:24.60 (A standard) and 8:32.00 (B standard).[2]
Brimin Kipruto, who won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, became the seventh Kenyan runner in a row to win this event at the Olympics. In total Kenya won nine gold medals in the 3000m steeplechase since 1968, but none of those medalists was ever able to defend his title.
Prior to this competition, the existing world record, Olympic record, and world leading time were as follows:
No new world or Olympic records were set for this event.
| Heat | Position | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 8:23.42 | Q | |||
| 1 | 2 | 8:23.53 | Q | |||
| 1 | 3 | 8:23.62 | Q | |||
| 1 | 4 | 8:23.66 | Q | |||
| 1 | 5 | 8:23.82 | ||||
| 1 | 6 | 8:26.85 | ||||
| 1 | 7 | 8:29.37 | ||||
| 1 | 8 | 8:29.74 | ||||
| 1 | 9 | 8:29.80 | ||||
| 1 | 10 | 8:37.65 | ||||
| 1 | 11 | 8:39.11 | ||||
| 1 | 12 | 8:58.50 | ||||
| 1 | DNF | |||||
| 2 | 1 | 8:16.88 | Q, PB | |||
| 2 | 2 | 8:16.95 | Q, SB | |||
| 2 | 3 | 8:17.34 | Q, PB | |||
| 2 | 4 | 8:17.55 | Q | |||
| 2 | 5 | 8:17.80 | q | |||
| 2 | 6 | 8:17.97 | q, PB | |||
| 2 | 7 | 8:18.97 | q, NR | |||
| 2 | 8 | 8:21.24 | ||||
| 2 | 9 | 8:23.09 | ||||
| 2 | 10 | 8:36.06 | ||||
| 2 | 11 | 8:36.66 | ||||
| 2 | 12 | 8:37.37 | ||||
| 2 | 13 | 9:09.73 | ||||
| 2 | DNS | |||||
| 3 | 1 | 8:19.86 | Q, PB | |||
| 3 | 2 | 8:19.87 | Q | |||
| 3 | 3 | 8:20.22 | Q | |||
| 3 | 4 | 8:21.85 | Q | |||
| 3 | 5 | 8:23.19 | SB | |||
| 3 | 6 | 8:27.45 | ||||
| 3 | 7 | 8:27.91 | ||||
| 3 | 8 | 8:28.27 | ||||
| 3 | 9 | 8:33.26 | ||||
| 3 | 10 | 8:36.29 | ||||
| 3 | 11 | 8:37.99 | ||||
| 3 | 12 | 8:44.70 | ||||
| 3 | 13 | 9:05.02 |
Legend: Q=Qualified top 4 in heat; q=Qualified by time; DNF=Did not finish; DNS=Did not start; DQ=Disqualified; NR=National record; PB=Personal best; SB=Season best
| Rank | Athlete | Country | Time | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8:10.34 | SB | ||||
| 8:10.49 | PB | ||||
| 8:11.01 | |||||
| 4 | 8:13.47 | NR | |||
| 5 | 8:14.79 | ||||
| 6 | 8:16.36 | PB | |||
| 7 | 8:16.38 | ||||
| 8 | 8:16.59 | ||||
| 9 | 8:20.27 | ||||
| 10 | 8:20.69 | ||||
| 11 | 8:21.59 | ||||
| 12 | 8:27.82 | ||||
| 13 | 8:31.21 | ||||
| 14 | 8:34.58 | ||||
| 15 | 9:02.06 |
| Intermediate | Athlete | Country | Mark |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1000m | 2:46.97 | ||
| 2000m | 5:33.84 | ||