Peruth Chemutai Reveals Why Dramatic Win Over Faith Cherotich Boosted Her Confidence for the Season

Uganda's Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai clinched a dramatic victory in the women's 3000m steeplechase at the Shanghai Diamond League on Saturday, May 16.

Peruth Chemutai clocked a blistering 8:51.47 to break the nine-minute barrier in her first race of the season. In a nail-biting finish, Chemutai narrowly held off world champion Faith Cherotich of Kenya, who finished just one-hundredth of a second behind in 8:51.48.

The race was historic, with Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani setting a new national record of 8:58.09 for third place, and Ethiopia’s Kena Tufa finishing fourth with a personal best of 8:59.66.

This marked only the third time in history that four women have finished under nine minutes in the same steeplechase event.

Peruth Chemutai reflected that the victory over Faith Cherotich carried deep personal meaning, explaining that it marked a strong turnaround after a difficult experience at the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where she suffered a horrific fall over a barrier and was unable to complete her race.

The Ugandan added that the result felt particularly rewarding because of how competitive the finish was. Chemutai described how, in the final moments, she was uncertain of the outcome, which made her realise the contest had been extremely tight.

Peruth Chemutai further noted that the win provided a significant boost to her self-belief and competitive momentum, saying that performing well in such a closely fought race strengthened her confidence ahead of the Diamond League Meeting in Xiamen.

“I was so happy for this race today because last year I was so disappointed with the World Championship because I did not finish,” Peruth Chemutai revealed.

“Yes, I thought I had won at the finish. I could see Faith's right hand, but I knew it was close. It is special to win today and gives me confidence ahead of next week when I race again in Xiamen.”

On her part, Faith Cherotich revealed that she was surprised by how the race unfolded, explaining that the outcome did not match what she had anticipated before the event.

The world champion acknowledged that her build-up to the race had been affected by an injury, which limited the quality of her preparation.

She added that she intends to rebuild her speed and sharpen her finishing ability, especially in the closing stages of races, as she believes this will be crucial for stronger performances going forward.

“I did not expect this result tonight. It was a good race for the season open and I believe I will do better in the following race,” Faith Cherotich said.

“My preparation was not so good, to be honest, due to some injuries, but now I come back very strong. I had no speed today, so I will be focused on my speed, especially for the last part of the race.”