World champion Faith Cherotich suffer late heartbreak in 3000m steeplechase
By Luke Oluoch, May 16, 2026Reigning 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.