Uganda's Chemutai settles for silver as Bahrain's Yavi smashes women's 3,000m Steeplechase Olympic gold

Defending champion Peruth Chemutai bagged silver but fell short of completing a historic fit on Tuesday after she finished behind Bahrain’s Kenyan born Winfred Yavi, the eventual champion who smashed gold with an Olympic record of 8 minutes 52.76 seconds.

Chemutai, who has endured a rollercoaster since Tokyo 2020, headed onto the purple Stade de France track bidding to become the first ever Ugandan to successively defend an Olympic title.

She was favourite, having eased to the final -better than all- in 9 minutes, 10.51 seconds ahead of Kenya's 2023 world bronze medalist Faith Cherotich in the opening heat.

But timing a national record of 8 minutes 53.34 seconds, Chemutai came so close yet too far in Tuesday’s star-studded women's 3,000m steeplechase final that featured the season’s leading athletes including world champion Yavi and world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech of Kenya. Faith Cherotich fetched bronze on her debut in 8 minutes 55.15 seconds.  

As was before the race, Yavi’s victory implies that only Bahrain, Uganda, Russia and Tunisia have won the women's 3,000m steeplechase since it was added to the Olympics events at the Beijing edition in 2008.

Chemutai’s silver came amid waning hope that Uganda will by medal rank perform better than at the 2020 games. This follows the shock withdrawal of Uganda’s great Joshua Cheptegei and distance runner Jacob Kiplimo- from the men’s 5,000metres.

In 2021, Chemutai –to her own surprise- burst onto the scene to become the first Ugandan woman to win Olympic gold. Her silver is Uganda's second medal at the 2024 games after Cheptegei struck his first ever men's 10,000m Olympic gold last Friday. 

The 25-year-old Chemutai will have to wait another four years to have another go at the 3,000m steeplechase title.