Faith Cherotich destroys field at Brussels Diamond League

World 3000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich didn’t just win the Brussels Diamond League final on Friday night—she announced her intent with a meet-record performance and a third consecutive Diamond League title.

Cherotich, 22, finished in 8:51.61 to break the Memorial Van Damme meeting record, surging past the leaders in the closing laps with the kind of kick that has become her signature. It was a decisive finish in a race that promised fireworks between the season’s top steeplers, who delivered.

“I am happy with this race and meeting record. I prayed for times like this. I trained really hard to win this Diamond League trophy. I was not very sure during the race that I was going to win,” she told the publication, Capital FM Africa.

Kenyan 1-2, Yavi third

Silver went to fellow Kenyan Doris Lemngole, who ran a personal best 8:52.86, while Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain took third in 8:53.54 after being outkicked at the final water jump. The result capped a strong late-season run for Cherotich, who also won in Zurich the week prior in 8:55.82.

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It was a coup in Belgium, as Yavi has defeated Cherotich several times.

Season context and standing

Cherotich entered Brussels having finished first in four of six Diamond League races and won gold at the Commonwealth Games this year, and had been on the podium in all seven. Her season-best of 8:51.48 came on May 16 in Shaoxing/Keqiao, where she finished second to Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai (8:51.47). Last year, she set her personal best at 8:48.71 at the Prefontaine Classic in June—a time that ranks fifth-fastest in women’s 3000m steeplechase history.

The wider landscape

The world record remains 8:44.32, set in Monaco in 2018 by Kenya’s Beatrice Chepkoech. Among active athletes, only Yavi (8:45.25, Eugene last year) and Chemutai (8:48.03, Rome) have run faster than Cherotich’s PB. With Brussels in the books, Cherotich has now secured Diamond League trophies in 2024, 2025, and 2026. That’s three straight titles, each underscored by tactical intelligence and a ruthless final lap.