Familiar foes Cherotich, Yavi to reprise rivalry at Pre Classic
Silver medallist Uganda's Peruth Chemutai (L), gold medallist Bahrain's Winfred Mutile Yavi (C) and bronze medallist Kenya's Faith Cherotich celebrate on the podium during the victory ceremony for the women's 3000m steeplechase athletics event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 7, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine POUJOULAT / AFP)
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The reigning Diamond League Trophy holder left it late to stun Olympic and world champion Yavi, winning the water and barrier event in a world lead of 9 minutes 05.08 seconds in the Qatari capital on May 16.
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 Chemutai at the Olympic Games in Paris in a personal best of 8:55.15.
Yavi, who launched her Diamond League campaign with the Doha leg, is the current Asian record holder with a best of 8:44.39 (Rome, 2024 and holds three of the ten quickest times ever recorded.
Chemutai, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion, has been in record-breaking form, clocking 8:53.34 for silver in Paris before lowering it to 8:48.03 in Rome.
However, she finished a distant seventh in Doha with a time of 9:15.55.
Cherotich’s steady rise has been hard to ignore. From World U20 gold, to World Championships bronze, to a breakthrough Diamond League title in Brussels — where she again beat Yavi — the 2023 World Athletics Rising Star has evolved into a fearless, tactically sharp racer.
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