Cherotich to face two of her fiercest rivals at Prefontaine Classic
Reading Time: 2min | Wed. 20.05.26. | 20:30
The trio's last clash in the Diamond League came at the same event in Eugene last year
Reigning world 3,000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich will have a battle on her hands as she faces her two fiercest rivals at the Prefontaine Classic Wanda Diamond League meeting on 4 July.
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Cherotich, who kicked off her Diamond League season with a second place finish in Shanghai last weekend, will go head-to-head with Winfred Yavi and Peruth Chemutai, in what is expected to be one of the star events in Eugene that night.
The star clash will be the first time the three will line up against each other, since the World Championship final in Tokyo last September, when they took two of the three spots on the podium.
Their last clash in the Diamond League, however, came at the same Prefontaine Classic event last year, when Kenyan-born Bahraini Yavi came out on top with a meeting record and world lead of 8:45.25.
Kenya’s Cherotich was nonetheless the standout performer of the 2025 season, beating Yavi in Doha and Oslo, before successfully defending her Diamond League title in Zurich.
The Kenyan went on to become world champion in Tokyo with a championship record of 8:51.59.
Cherotich has already faced off with Chemutai this season, with the Ugandan sprinting away to a close victory at the opening Diamond League meeting of the season in Shanghai/Keqiao last weekend.
The Ugandan star, who won gold at the 2020 Olympic Games, held off a ferocious challenge from Cherotich on the home straight, to claim her first Diamond League victory since she won in Eugene in 2024.
Too close for comfort 🫣#DiamondLeague #ShanghaiDL pic.twitter.com/6dbyRaOCda
— Wanda Diamond League (@Diamond_League) May 17, 2026
Eugene is the ninth leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, which began in Shanghai/Keqiao on 16 May, and ends at the two-day series final in Brussels on 4-5 September.
The series unites the biggest names in track and field in some of the world’s most iconic arenas, crossing four continents and 15 cities over the course of the season.
