Kenya’s Faith Cherotich continued her impressive rise in the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a dramatic win at the Paris Diamond League on Friday night, clocking a personal best of 8:53.37.
The 20-year-old’s time is the fastest in the world this year. It places her 10th on the all-time list, signaling she’s hitting top form ahead of the 2025 World Championships in Tokyo.
Cherotich, the 2021 World U20 champion, has shown steady progress since winning bronze at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest. Her performance in Paris not only underlined her consistency but also cemented her status as a strong contender for Kenya’s team that’ll head to Tokyo.
“I’m so happy. I’m very, so happy,” she said after the race. “In Paris and with my PB.”
With the Kenyan trials scheduled for the end of July, Cherotich’s form is peaking at just the right moment. Her win in Paris follows another standout performance earlier this month at the Oslo Diamond League, where she beat reigning world and Olympic champion Winfred Yavi.
Cherotich’s career breakthrough came at the 2024 Diamond League final in Brussels, where she defeated Yavi and Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai. That victory marked a turning point in her confidence and ability to challenge the world’s best.
Faith Cherotich, made her ambitions clear after the Oslo meet earlier.
“My target for this season is to win the world title, but I also want to run good races,” she said. “There are many of us who have the same ambitions, but I am going to fight and do my best to achieve my goal. It will be a different result this time in Tokyo.”
The 2025 World Athletics Championships will take place from September 13 to 21 at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo, the same venue used during the 2020 Olympic Games.
