World 3,000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich and Olympics champion Winfred Yavi will renew one of the most compelling rivalries in the women’s 3,000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Diamond League Final in Brussels on Friday.
The dynamic duo have traded victories in tight duels this season and are set for another intriguing battle from 8:23pm at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels
Cherotich heads into the showdown with confidence after bouncing back from defeat in Lausanne to win the steeplechase in Zurich. The head-to-head count this season favours Kenyan-turned Bahraini Yave at 2-1.
Kenya's Faith Cherotich (right) celebrates after winning the women's 3000m steeplechase final with compatriot Doris Lemngole who finished second at Zurich Diamond League on August 27, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
Their first Diamond League meeting came in Xiamen, China, on May 23, where Yavi finished second in 8:51.54, and Cherotich third in 8:52.53 as Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai won in 8:51.06.
Cherotich then struck back spectacularly at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on July 4, winning the race with her best time of the season 8:51.74, after storming past Yavi in the closing stages. Yavi was second in 8:52.84.
The Bahraini, who is the reigning Olympic champion, responded in Lausanne on August 21 by producing a meet record time of 9:00.04 to win ahead of Cherotich, who clocked 9:01.90 for second.
The race was another reminder of Yavi’s ability to deliver under pressure, particularly in the closing stages, as she upstaged Cherotich who had hit the front and was seemingly cruising to victory.
Bahrain's Winfred Yavi crosses the line to win the women's 3000m Steeplechase final at Lausanne Diamond League in Switzerland on August 21, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
Cherotich did win in Zurich six days in 8:55.82, but Yavi did not enter that race.
“I must admit it has been an interesting season and I’m looking forward to one of the most competitive events because the best athletes in the distance will be there. I’m a fighter and I will run my race targeting a win,” said Cherotich on phone from Brussels.
Olympics and world 800m champion Emmanuel Wanyonyi will defend his Diamond League crown against a quality field that has Canadian giant Marco Arop the fourth fastest man in history over the distance and Algerian Djamel Sedjati, the fifth fastest.
Wanyonyi, the third fastest 800m runner in history behind Wilson Kipketer and world record holder David Rudisha, arrives in Brussels with considerable momentum after producing a sensational world lead 1:41.76 victory at the Zurich Diamond League on August 27.
Wanyonyi has the last three Diamond League titles and will be seeking to extend his record to four and a hefty winner’s prize money of $60,000 (Sh7.8 million).
But standing in his way will be Arop, the former world champion from Canada, and the fifth fastest man in history in history and Olympic bronze medallist Sedjati.
The trio have developed one of the most intriguing rivalries in the 800m, regularly producing races in which the difference between victory and defeat is measured in hundredths of a second.
Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi celebrates after winning the men's 800m final at the Zurich Diamond League on August 27, 2026.
Photo credit: Reuters
Arop, who owns a personal best of 1:41.20, remains one of the few athletes capable of matching Wanyonyi's extraordinary finishing speed while Sedjati is equally dangerous, with a 1:41.46 personal best.
Wanyonyi's personal best of 1:41.11 makes him the second fastest man in history, behind only compatriot David Rudisha's legendary world record of 1:40.91 he clocked in 2012.
Timothy Cheruiyot, Phanuel Koech and Boaz Kiprugut will be battling it out in the 1,500m final.
Reynold Cheruiyot has stepped up to the 5,000m race where he will be competing with compatriots Cornelius Kemboi and Jacob Krop on Saturday with veteran Julius Yego featuring in the men's Javelin.
Dorcas Ewoi will be the sole Kenyan in the 1,500m race while Edmund Serem and Simon Koech will compete in the 3,000m steeplechase.
