Faith Cherotich runs world lead in Paris as Kenyans impress at Diamond League
Faith Cherotich stormed to a world-leading 8:53.37 in the steeplechase at the Paris Diamond League, headlining a strong evening for Kenya that also saw Nelly Chepchirchir win the 1500m and Phanuel Koech break the World U20 record in the same event.
Faith Cherotich continued her outstanding 2025 season with a world-leading and personal best performance in the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase at the Paris Diamond League on Friday night.
The 20-year-old stormed to victory in 8:53.37, shaving five seconds off her previous world lead. Facing a strong field that included Uganda’s Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai and Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew, Cherotich bided her time before kicking away after the final water jump to secure the win.
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Cherotich and Chemutai set a fierce pace early on, breaking the race open within the first five minutes. Almayew and France’s Alice Finot tried to stay in touch, but the two East Africans pulled away. At the bell, Cherotich and Chemutai were shoulder to shoulder. The Ugandan made a move before the final water jump, but Cherotich responded with a clean landing and found an extra gear down the home straight.
WORLD LEAD & PERSONAL BEST! 😮💨🔥
— TeamKenya (@OlympicsKe) June 20, 2025
20-year-old Faith Cherotich continues her unstoppable rise as the steeplechase queen of 2025, storming to victory at the Paris leg of the @Diamond_League in a blistering 8:53.37. 🔥
She outpaced Olympic champion Peruth Chemutai and now ranks 6th… pic.twitter.com/t6UXuDEwM7
Chemutai finished second in 8:54.41, while Almayew crossed third in 9:01.02. Cherotich’s time moves her to sixth on the all-time list.
In the women’s 1500 metres, Nelly Chepchirchir secured her third Diamond League win of the year, clocking 3:57.02 for a season’s best. The 22-year-old controlled the race from behind the pacer, taking the lead with 300 metres to go. She was briefly threatened by Ireland’s Sarah Healy in the closing stretch, but held on. Healy ran a personal best of 3:57.15 to finish second, with Ethiopia’s Birke Haylom third in 3:57.50.
There was another standout moment for Kenya in the men’s 1500 metres, where 18-year-old Phanuel Kipkosgei Koech broke the World U20 record by running 3:27.72 to place second behind France’s Azeddine Habz.
Koech, who recently clocked 3:32.26 at a meet in Lucca, Italy, stayed calm in a quick field before producing a strong finish to move through the pack. He narrowly missed out on the win but broke Ronald Kwemoi’s U20 world mark of 3:28.81 set in 2014.
Habz took the win in 3:27.49, a world lead and national record, much to the delight of the home crowd. Great Britain’s George Mills was third in 3:28.36. Festus Lagat (3:29.03 PB) and Abel Kipsang (3:29.46 SB) also posted strong performances for Kenya.
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