Peruth Chemutai to Renew Rivalry with Archrival Winfred Yavi in Season Opener

Peruth Chemutai will open her 2025 season at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha, Qatar, on Friday, May 16, going up against her serial rival Winfred Yavi.

The Ugandan steeplechaser ended her season with a third-place finish at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels. The race was won by Faith Cherotich as reigning Olympic champion Yavi came in second.

Peruth Chemutai failed to defend her Olympic title at the Paris Olympic Games, losing to Winfred Yavi, and she has a chance to start her campaign on a high with a win over the Kenyan-born Bahraini in Doha.

Chemutai stepped on the track at the Stade de France, hoping to win her second consecutive title in steeplechase after winning the title at the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but was in for a rude shock.

After the Paris Olympic Games, Chemutai finished second at the Golden Gala in Rome, behind Winfred Yavi, and then rounded up the podium at the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels.

Winfred Yavi will also be opening her season at the event, following her successful 2024 season that saw her win an Olympic gold medal as she also set the second-fastest time over the distance, clocking 8:44.39 to win the Diamond League Meeting in Rome.

She threatened Beatrice Chepkoech’s world record time of 8:44.32 with her impressive run in Rome, Italy. Now, as she starts her 2025 season, after training hard, she hopes to finally get a hold of the world record and silence the critics.

Another star who might stop Peruth Chemutai will be Kenyan youngster Faith Cherotich, the Olympic bronze medallist.

Faith Cherotich ended her season with a win in the Diamond League Meeting final in Brussels and has also yet to open her 2025 season.

She has enjoyed a great progression from the junior level to the senior category and promised to be one of the greatest steeplechasers.