Cherotich, Yavi resume unending steeplechase rivalry in Xiamen

World champion Faith Cherotich is set to renew one of athletics’ most thrilling rivalries with Kenyan-born Bahraini Winfred Mutile Yavi when they meet in the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the second Diamond League meeting of the season in Xiamen on May 23.

The two women meet for the 12th time in four seasons in athletics’ premier one-day series, their first face off since the Olympic bronze medallist dethroned Yavi at the World Championships in Tokyo last September.

The 21-year-old Cherotich claimed her first world title with a championship record in the Japanese capital after upstaging Yavi to win in 8:51.59.

The two 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.

Xiamen will be their 12th meeting on the Diamond League stage in a longstanding rivalry which has thrown up some classic races in recent years.

Cherotich shocked Yavi at the Diamond League Final in Brussels in 2024 before beating her again in two dramatic contests in Doha and Oslo last season

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

The two women face a world-class field in Xiamen, which also includes 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 on May 16 and ends at the two-day series final in Brussels on September 4-5.

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.