Cherotich, Yavi set to renew steeplechase rivalry at Pre Classic

Olympic 3,000m steeplechase bronze medallist Faith Cherotich is poised to renew her thrilling rivalry with reigning Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain when the two line up for the Prefontaine Classic on July 5 in Eugene, Oregon.

Organisers have billed the women's steeplechase lineup as one of the most electrifying races on the programme, promising fireworks at the 50th edition of the historic meet.

"The world star-studded international lineup promises more world-class results at the meet's 50th edition," read the statement.

Cherotich, a rising star in the water and barrier race, already landed the first blow this season when she stunned Yavi at the Doha Diamond League on May 16. 

The 20-year-old Kenyan produced a perfectly-timed kick in the home straight to clinch victory in 9:05.08, edging Yavi, who clocked 9:05.26. Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew settled for third in 9:09.27.

That win marked Cherotich’s second career triumph over Yavi, having also upstaged her in the Brussels Diamond League Final last September. In that thrilling showdown, Cherotich stormed to victory in 9:02.36, ahead of Yavi (9:02.87) and Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai (9:07.60).

Despite her back-to-back wins over the Olympic and world champion, Cherotich admitted she was taken aback by her Doha performance. "First of all, I am very surprised by this result. I did not expect to win today," Cherotich said post-race.

"I wanted to make sure I secured a win, and it worked well at the finish line."

She also praised the depth of talent in the Doha field, describing the race as Olympic-calibre.

"It was not an easy run because all of us were here to win. It felt almost like the (2024) Olympic final," she added.

She further noted that winning bronze in Paris has boosted her confidence on the global stage.

"When I won my medal in Paris, it helped me a lot in my life and helped me to focus on training and competing even more," she stated.

In Paris, Cherotich clocked 8:55.15 to claim bronze behind Yavi (8:52.76) and Chemutai (8:53.34).

Meanwhile, Yavi remained upbeat despite her early loss in the season, confident that her best is yet to come.

"I still have a lot more to do in training, and I am looking forward to my next races."

"Doha was a great start to the season. Because the season is still young, I am still working more to ensure I defend my title in Tokyo," Yavi noted.

Adding more depth to the Pre Classic field is Uganda's Chemutai, the current World's third fastest woman over the distance (8:48.03),  behind  World record holder Beatrice Chepkoech (8:44.32) and Yavi (8:44.39).