Cherotich finally gets season off the mark with commanding Prefontaine Classic victory
Reading Time: 2min | Sun. 05.07.26. | 09:14
The 21 year old Kenyan produced a composed display to clock 8:51.74 and cross the finish line ahead of Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, who settled for second in 8:52.84
World champion Faith Cherotich delivered a timely statement ahead of the Commonwealth Games after claiming her first Diamond League victory of the season in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene on Saturday night.
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The 21 year old Kenyan produced a composed display to clock 8:51.74 and cross the finish line ahead of Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain, who settled for second in 8:52.84.
Tunisia's Marwa Bouzayani completed the podium after setting a national record of 8:54.32.
The victory marked a significant turnaround for Cherotich, who had endured a frustrating start to the 2026 campaign after finishing behind Uganda's Peruth Chemutai in both of her previous Diamond League appearances this season.
Her campaign began at the Shanghai Diamond League on 16 May, where Chemutai produced a devastating finishing kick to snatch victory in 8:51.47, edging Cherotich by the slimmest of margins after the Kenyan clocked 8:51.48. Bouzayani finished third in 8:58.09.
A week later in Xiamen, the story was much the same as Chemutai once again came out on top in 8:51.06.
Yavi finished second in 8:51.54 while Cherotich crossed the line third in 8:52.53.
Those back-to-back defeats had left the reigning world champion searching for answers, with Cherotich admitting after Xiamen that her finishing speed had not matched that of her experienced rivals.
"I believe I will do better in the coming race," she said after the Xiamen meeting.
The youngster also revealed that injuries had affected her preparations during the early stages of the season.
"My preparations were not so good, to be honest, due to some injuries. But now I am hoping to come back very strong," she added.
She certainly lived up to that promise in Eugene.
Facing another high-quality field led by Olympic champion Yavi, Cherotich looked composed throughout before pulling away to secure her first victory of the year and finally end her wait for a Diamond League win this season.
The triumph also served as sweet revenge after she had promised before the race to reverse her fortunes against her regional rivals and Olympic champion Yavi.
It was only Cherotich's third race of the season but arguably her most complete performance, suggesting she has rediscovered the form that made her one of the world's most dominant steeplechasers last year.
With the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow scheduled for July 23 to August 8 fast approaching, the victory provides the perfect confidence boost for the Kenyan, who will head into the championships believing she has once again established herself among the favourites for gold.