Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai produced a brilliant performance to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen, finishing ahead of Olympic champion Winfred Yavi and world champion Faith Cherotich.
Chemutai crossed the line in a world-leading and meeting-record time of 8:51.06, underlining her strong start to the season. Yavi followed closely in 8:51.54, a season best, while Cherotich settled for third in 8:52.53 after a tightly contested race.
After the race, Cherotich admitted that the hot and humid conditions made the competition demanding, but she praised the atmosphere created by the crowd. She said the race was a useful test as she builds toward her key target for the season.
The Kenyan star noted that her main focus is the World Athletics Ultimate Championships in Budapest in September. Despite describing the race as tough, she said the result was a positive step and stressed that she still hopes to improve, especially in the closing stages of her races.
Cherotich’s 2026 campaign has already shown signs of promise, though she has also faced challenges. She opened the season with another second-place finish before returning to the track in Xiamen, where she once again found herself in a high-level battle with Chemutai and Yavi.
Yavi, meanwhile, entered the season in strong shape after winning the Elgoibar Cross Country Juan Muguerza Memorial earlier in the year. With the Xiamen result now in the books, attention turns to the Diamond League meeting in Rabat on May 31, where the top steeplechase runners are expected to renew their rivalry.
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