Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Faith Cherotich will be gunning for her third straight Diamond League triumph when she takes to the track at the Paris Meeting on Friday night.
The 20-year-old has been in imperious form since opening her season on May 16 in Doha. In that meet, she shocked Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain with a blistering kick to win in 9:05.08. Yavi was forced to settle for second in 9:05.26, while Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew crossed third in 9:09.27.
Cherotich extended her dominance in Oslo last Thursday, running a world-leading 9:02.60 to once again outpace Yavi. The Bahraini clocked 9:02.76, with Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani finishing third in 9:06.84.
Following her dominance over the two meetings, Cherotich highlighted that she is in the form of her life earlier in the season. "I am happy I was able to run a world lead here in Oslo."
"I started my season well in Doha, and I feel now my body is in good shape," Cherotich said after her victory in Oslo. Cherotich reiterated her readiness to extend her winning streak as she gears up for the Tokyo showdown.
"My target is to run my other races well as I build up for the World Championships, where I am hoping for good results."
Cherotich made her maiden World Championship appearance in Budapest 2023, clocking 9:00.69 to secure a podium finish. Yavi claimed the world title with an 8:54.29-minute finish, with world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (8:58.98) bagging silver. It was her performance in Budapest that spurred her to claim Olympic bronze in Paris last year.
In Paris, Cherotich clocked 8:55.15 for bronze behind Yavi (8:52.76) and Uganda's Peruth Chemutai (8:53.34). Cherotich now shifts focus to Paris, where she will renew rivalry with Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai in what promises to be a tactical thriller.
Chemutai arrives in the French capital fresh from her win at the FBK Games in Hengelo on June 9, where she clocked 9:07.79 to hold off Ethiopia’s Wosane Asefa (9:20.83) and Kenya’s Caren Chebet (9:22.35).
Adding further depth to the steeplechase field are Ethiopia’s Sembo, Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto, the 2022 world champion, France’s Alice Finot and Germany’s Felicitas Krause.
In the men’s 800m, two-time Commonwealth champion Wyclife Kinyamal is out to salvage his season after an inconsistent run. Kinyamal opened with a strong third-place finish in Doha (1:43.37) but struggled in Rabat (6th in 1:44.63) and Stockholm (7th in 1:43.95).
He will be joined in Paris by compatriot Nicholas Kebenei. The 2022 World 5,000m silver medallist Jacob Krop will also be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 11th-place finish in Oslo, where he ran 12:51.16.
He lines up alongside Boaz Kiprugut, with Ethiopia’s Yomif Kejelcha, the 2019 World 10,000m silver medallist, expected to be a major threat.
In the field events, 2016 Olympic javelin silver medallist Julius Yego headlines the men’s javelin event. The 36-year-old will battle Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra of India and Grenada’s Anderson Peters in a star-studded lineup.
