Peruth Chemutai runs 8:51.06 in Xiamen, the eighth-fastest steeplechase ever
A week after winning by 0.01, Chemutai beat Winfred Yavi and Faith Cherotich; Addisu Yihune ran 12:57.32 for 5000 m and Masai Russell 12.14 in the hurdles.
Photograph: The start of the women's 3000 m steeplechase at Weltklasse Zürich 2026, with Peruth Chemutai in the field, by Peter Arnold, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsThe second Diamond League meeting of the year, in Xiamen on Saturday 23 May, had billed the women's steeplechase as an attempt on Beatrice Chepkoech's world record of 8:44.32. The record survived, but not by much. Peruth Chemutai, who had beaten Faith Cherotich by a hundredth in Shaoxing seven days earlier, won again in 8:51.06, a world lead and the eighth-fastest time ever run. Winfred Yavi was second in 8:51.54 and Cherotich third in 8:52.53.
The men's 5000 m produced the other world lead. Addisu Yihune of Ethiopia won in a meeting record 12:57.32, with Mohamed Abdilaahi, a week on from his German 3000 m record, second in 12:57.90 and Biniam Mehary third in 12:58.51. Australia's Abbey Caldwell turned the tables in the women's 1500 m, winning in 3:57.26 from Birke Haylom, 3:57.79, who had beaten her in Shaoxing, with Emily Mackay of the United States third in 3:58.13.
Then two marks that will stand for a long time. Masai Russell won the 100 m hurdles in 12.14, with a 0.5 m/s wind, two hundredths off Tobi Amusan's world record and the second-fastest time in history; Amusan herself was second in 12.28. And Ziyi Yan threw the javelin 71.74 m, an Asian record and the second-best throw ever, behind only Barbora Špotáková's 72.28 m from 2008.
Two meetings into the season, two world leads for Chemutai and a hurdles time nobody has beaten but one woman. The Chinese swing of the Diamond League used to be a warm-up. Not this year.
Sources: World Athletics.
