Faith Cherotich upstages Yavi to win Doha Diamond League

The 20-year-old Kenyan left it late to stun Olympic and world champion Winfred Mutile Yavi of Bahrain, winning the water and barrier event in a world lead of 9 minutes 05.08 seconds in the Qatari capital.

The former world U20 champion and 2023 World Athletics Rising Star award-winner tactically negotiated the final barrier and then knocked Yavi off her perch to win by 0.18.

That was Cherotich’s third win in 11 head-to-heads against Yavi and first in this season after the youngster also got one up on the Kenyan-born Bahraini, to win the Diamond League Trophy last season in Brussels.

Before winning the Diamond League title, Cherotich had finished third behind Yavi and Uganda’s Peruth Chetumai at the Olympic Games in Paris in a personal best of 8:55.15.

In Doha, Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew rounded up the podium in 9:09.27 while Chemutai, 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion, placed seventh in 9:15.55.

Kenya’s dominance continued on the track as rising star Reynold Cheruiyot stormed to victory in the men’s 5000m, clocking a personal best of 13:16.40.

The 2022 World U20 1500m champion unleashed a strong finishing kick to hold off Switzerland’s Dominic Lobalu and Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew, who both clocked 13:17.70 in a photo finish for second and third.

In the women’s 1500m, Nelly Chepchirchir delivered another win for Kenya, beating compatriot and Olympian Susan Ejore to claim top honours.

Chepchirchir crossed the line in 4:05.00 with Ejore clocking 4:06.27 in second while Britain’s Jemma Reekie completed the podium in 4:07.33.

Former Commonwealth Games champion Wycliffe Kinyamal rounded off Kenya’s fine evening with a third-place finish in the men’s 800m.

Kinyamal ran a season’s best of 1:43.37 behind Botswana’s Tshepiso Maselela, who clocked a world-leading 1:43.11 with America’s Bryce Hoppel timing 1:43.26 for second.