Faith Cherotich competes at a previous race/ FILEWorld 3,000m steeplechase champion Faith Cherotich will be out to defend her Diamond League final title on Friday night when she lines up for the season-ending showdown in Brussels.
The Kenyan water-and-barrier queen heads into the finale atop the women's steeplechase standings with 36 points, underlining her consistency across the circuit.
Tunisia's Marwa Bouzayani sits second on 31 points, while Uganda's Peruth Chemutai occupies third with 26. Olympic champion Winfred Yavi of Bahrain is fourth on 22 points, with 2025 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) steeplechase champion Doris Lemngole rounding out the top five on 17.
Cherotich returns to the Diamond League final as the defending champion after producing a masterclass in Zurich last year, where she surged to her maiden finals trophy in 8:57.24.
She unleashed a strong finishing kick to beat Kazakhstan's Norah Jeruto (9:10.87) and Bouzayani (9:12.03), announcing herself as the new force in the event.
That breakthrough triumph proved to be the springboard for an even greater milestone, as Cherotich went on to capture the world steeplechase crown in Tokyo, stopping the clock at a brilliant 8:51.59.
The 22-year-old heads into Brussels in red-hot form after a commanding victory at last weekend's Zurich Diamond League.
Cherotich orchestrated a memorable Kenyan 1-2 finish, powering home in 8:55.82, while Lemngole chased her all the way to a personal best 8:55.94. Chemutai completed the podium in 8:58.28.
The world champion was delighted to see Kenya dominate the podium.
“I am happy and I am feeling good. We are happy that Kenya came first and second, we prepared well for this race,” Cherotich said after the race.
For the youngster, taking control of the race from the front was all part of the plan.
“The pace was okay and it was also my plan to get in front and pace after the pacemaker got out,” she added.
With the Diamond League trophy now within touching distance once again, Cherotich has made her ambitions crystal clear.
“The season has been good for me. My next goal is to finish the season well in Brussels.”
Her Zurich success came as the perfect response after suffering a defeat to Yavi at the Lausanne Diamond League on August 21.
In Lausanne, Cherotich clocked 9:01.90 to finish second behind Yavi, who stormed to a meeting record 9:00.04, while Bouzayani claimed third in 9:05.55.
The Kenyan has steadily built momentum throughout the 2026 campaign.
She opened her season on May 16 in Shanghai with a heartbreaking runner-up finish, clocking 8:51.48, just one hundredth of a second behind Chemutai's winning 8:51.47.
A week later in Xiamen, Cherotich settled for third in 8:52.53, finishing behind Chemutai (8:51.06) and Yavi (8:51.54).
Her long-awaited breakthrough arrived on July 4 at the Prefontaine Classic, where she outkicked Yavi and Bouzayani to claim her maiden Diamond League victory in 8:51.74. Yavi finished second in 8:52.84, with Bouzayani third in 8:54.32.
Before the Lausanne setback, Cherotich also delivered one of the defining performances of her season by capturing the Commonwealth Games title in emphatic fashion on July 29.
She stormed to gold in a Games record 9:01.76, obliterating the previous mark of 9:15.68 set by compatriot Jackline Chepkoech at the 2022 Birmingham Games by more than 13 seconds.
England's Elise Thorner claimed silver in 9:05.45, while Chemutai completed the podium with bronze in 9:09.96.
