Faith Cherotich’s 8:53 Breakthrough: 6th-Fastest Steeplechase Ever—Now She’s Targeting Gold in Tokyo

Faith Cherotich is rewriting the women’s 3000m steeplechase narrative. The 20-year-old Olympic and World bronze medalist exploded onto the senior stage this year, slashing over 11 seconds off her personal best and firmly establishing herself among the all-time greats. With the World Championships set for Tokyo in 2025, she’s made it clear—she’s not done yet.

Olympic Roots, Meteoric Rise

Cherotich made her Olympic debut in Paris 2024, earning bronze in 9:04.24 behind Winfred Yavi and Peruth Chemutai. Just a year later, she’s running nearly 11 seconds faster.

At the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, she finished second in 9:00.69, already hinting at her vast potential. But 2025 has been a different level altogether.

Diamond League Domination

Cherotich’s progression this season has been remarkable:

• Doha Diamond League – 9:05.08

• Oslo Diamond League – 9:02.60 (meet record)

• Paris Diamond League – a stunning 8:53.37, now the world lead for 2025 and the 6th-fastest time in history

In Paris, she confidently shadowed 2020 Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai before surging ahead for the win.

“I am happy to have run a PB,” Cherotich said after the race. “It was not an easy race… after a few laps I got confident enough to take the lead and knew I could manage the race and win.”

All-Time Rankings & World Record Watch

• Fastest time ever: 8:44.32 — Beatrice Chepkoech (2018)

• Second-fastest: 8:44.39 — Winfred Yavi (Rome, 2024)

• Cherotich: Now #6 all-time with 8:53.37

Her consistency, combined with tactical growth, has vaulted her into serious world title contention

Focused on Tokyo 2025

With the World Championships returning to Tokyo, Cherotich is more motivated than ever:

“My target this season is to win the world title… I want to run good races… I am going to fight and do all my best to achieve my goal… It will be a different result this time in Tokyo.”

She currently leads the Diamond League standings by 10 points over rival Yavi and has shown she can beat any competitor on the day.

✅ Performance Summary

Cherotich isn’t just winning races—she’s chasing history. With the world title in her sights and her confidence growing with every lap, all roads now lead to Tokyo.

posted Saturday June 21st
by Boris Baron