What is the total number of jumps (barriers including water jumps) in a 3000 m steeplechase race?

In the 3000 m steeplechase, athletes must clear a total of 35 obstacles: 28 barrier (hurdle) jumps and 7 water jumps.

Structure of the race:

• The race covers seven and a half laps of the track (on a standard 400 m track, with the water jump placed inside or outside the bend).
• In each full lap, there are five jumps: four barriers and one water jump.
• The athletes start without jumps on the first part of the race and then complete seven full laps with obstacles, giving 7 x 4 = 28 barrier jumps and 7 x 1 = 7 water jumps.

The barriers:

They are 0.914 m (36 inches) high for men and 0.762 m (30 inches) for women.

They are solid and heavy, so unlike hurdles they do not fall over when touched. Athletes may step on them.

The water jump:

• It is a barrier followed by a pool of water, 3.66 m long, which is deepest just after the barrier and slopes up to the level of the track.
• Most athletes step on the barrier and push off to land in the shallower part of the water.

History:

• The steeplechase is believed to have originated in Britain from horse races run from one church steeple to another across the countryside.
• The men's 3000 m steeplechase has been part of the Olympics since 1920; the women's event was added in 2008.
• Kenyan runners have dominated the event for decades.

Indian steeplechasers:

• Avinash Sable holds the national record, won silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and gold at the 2022 Asian Games (held in 2023), and became the first Indian to reach the Olympic final in the event at Paris 2024.
• Parul Chaudhary won gold in the women's event at the 2022 Asian Games.
• Lalita Babar reached the Olympic final at Rio 2016.

Why not the other options?

• ✗28 is the number of barrier jumps alone.
• ✗30 and 40 are not the correct totals.