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World champion Faith Cherotich suffer late heartbreak in 3000m steeplechase
16th May, 2026 04:01 PM
Reigning World Champion Faith Cherotich and her Ugandan rival, Peruth Chemutai, took their women’s 3,000m steeplechase rivalry to a whole new level at the Shanghai Diamond League, with the Ugandan edging out the Kenyan by the narrowest of margins.
Chemutai clocked a brilliant 8:51.47 in a thrilling photo finish, leaving Cherotich just a fraction of a second behind at 8:51.48.
The blistering race produced spectacular times across the field, with four women dipping under the nine-minute barrier. Among them was Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani, who broke ground by setting a new national record of 8:58.09.
World championship revenge
The event had been highly anticipated as a straight shootout between the two stars. By holding off Cherotich, Chemutai secured sweet revenge following her defeat to the Kenyan at the World Championships in September last year.
After suffering a disappointing DNF (Did Not Finish) in that World Championship final, Chemutai made a triumphant return to the global stage to narrowly edge out her rival.
Cheruiyot beaten
A similar outcome befell Kenya’s Cheruiyot, whose personal best run was not sufficient to secure him a Diamond League gold. Cheruiyot finished second in the men’s race.
Mohamed Abdilaahi stuns a star-studded field in the men’s category, winning in a German record of 7:25.77, ahead of Cheruiyot, who clocked a personal best of 7:26.11.
Andreas Almgren finished third in a Swedish record of 7:26:48.
These come after Faith Kipyegon opened up her season over 5000m at the Shanghai Diamond League, winning in a world lead of 14:24.14!
The track queen endured fierce competition from Ethiopia’s Likina Amebaw, who claimed second place in 14:24.21, while her compatriot Senayet Getachew crossed the line third in 14:24.71 to complete the podium.
The fast-paced race saw spectacular times across the board. Uganda’s Charity Cherop set a new national record of 14:39.38, while ten participants set individual personal bests (PBs) and three ran season bests (SBs), underscoring the elite depth of the field.
