Steeplechase giants prepare to clash in one of 2025’s most anticipated races at the Jetour Doha Meeting on May 16. Olympic gold medallists and Diamond League winners will gather at Qatar Sports Club for the 3000 women’s steeplechase.
Olympic and world champion Winfred Yavi leads the star-studded field at the third stop of this year’s Wanda Diamond League. Yavi owns three of the ten fastest steeplechase times and nearly broke the world record with 8:44.39 in Rome.
“I am always looking for opportunities to run faster and win more,” Yavi shared ahead of the Doha race.
“When I ran my personal best in Rome last year I was actually a little bit disappointed not to break the world record because I thought it was possible. I’ve been working very hard over the winter and I believe it will happen at some point.”
The reigning Olympic champion will battle Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai, Tokyo 2020 gold medallist and national record-holder, in fierce competition. Chemutai chased Yavi to the line in Rome, clocking 8:48.03, building quiet momentum ahead of her Olympic comeback.
Adding even more excitement to the mix is Kenya’s rising star and the reigning Diamond League champion Faith Cherotich. Cherotich stunned both Yavi and Chemutai in Brussels last September. She also secured a bronze medal in Paris.
Yavi wants the world record, Chemutai seeks redemption, and Cherotich aims to defend her Diamond League crown. With Paris 2024 looming just months away, every second on the clock counts, and every stride could shape Olympic predictions.
The 2025 Jetour Doha Meeting is the third stop in the Wanda Diamond League’s 15-event series with $9.24 million prize money. The series began in Xiamen, China, on April 26 and will end with a two-day finale in Zurich, August 27–28.
