Cherotich, Yavi set to renew rivalry in Xiamen Diamond League

A fresh chapter of the intriguing rivalry between Kenya’s Faith Cherotich and Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Yavi will open, for the first time, this year when the two battle in the second Wanda Diamond League meeting of the season in Xiamen on Saturday, 23 May.

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The duo, who made the headlines for their exciting head-to-head competition last year, will line up for the 12th time in four Diamond League seasons.

They are part of a star-studded 3,000m steeplechase lineup, which will include two Olympic champions, two world champions, and all three medallists from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Yavi and Cherotich have dominated the steeplechase in recent years, picking up three Diamond League titles, and 12 Diamond League wins between them in the last three seasons.

Cherotich is the reigning world and Wanda Diamond League champion, having won the Diamond Trophy in both 2024 and 2025.

Yavi is the reigning Olympic champion and the second-fastest woman in history in the 3000m steeplechase behind world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech.

Last year, Cherotich proved to have come of age once again, as she picked up her first senior global title in a major championship, clocking a World Championship record of 8:51.59, and finishing almost five seconds clear of her closest challenger.

Yavi, who is only 0.07 seconds shy of equaling Chepkoech’s aforementioned time of 8:44.32, on the other hand, wrapped up 2025 as the fastest woman in the world, her run of 8:45.25 having comfortably beaten Cherotich in their thrilling clash in Eugene back in July.

In Xiamen, the pair’s long-standing rivalry will kickstart another sequel, which audiences how will throw up a classic, like those in recent years.

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At the Diamond League final in Brussels in 2024, Cherotich shocked Yavi, before beating her again in two dramatic contests in Doha and Oslo last season.

In Eugene last year, Yavi, who won silver in the Tokyo World Championships, emerged on top, beating Cherotich for the first time since her win in Rome in 2024, when she only narrowly missed out on the world record.

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Also joining them on the lineup this year will be: 2021 Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai, and 2022 world champion Norah Jeruto.

Xiamen is the second leg of the 2026 Wanda Diamond League, which begins in Shanghai/Keqiao onSaturday, 16 May, and ends at the two-day series final in Brussels on 4-5 September.