Winfred Yavi Scares 3000m Steeplechase World Record With Stunning 8:44.39 in Rome
At the Rome Diamond League on Friday, Olympic champion Winfred Yavi from Bahrain came tantalizingly close to making athletics history, falling just seven hundredths of a second short of the women’s 3000m steeplechase world record. Yavi completed the race in an astounding 8 minutes, 44.39 seconds, just shy of the record of 8:44.32 set by Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech in 2018.
Yavi, visibly taken aback by how close she came to the record, expressed both disappointment and determination. "I looked at the time after the race and I went ‘Oh, no!’” she shared with the Diamond League. "I was really expecting that record, and I was going for it. I definitely feel I should break it, and I believe it will happen. I need to work even harder. And I am planning to have another go at it before the end of the season.” At just 24 years old, Yavi now holds the second, third, and fifth fastest times ever in the women’s 3000m steeplechase and also clinched the world championships and Diamond League titles in 2023.
3000m Steeplechase Women Results:
| POS | NAT | NAME | RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BRN | YAVI Winfred | 8:44.39 AR WL MR PB |
| 2 | UGA | CHEMUTAI Peruth | 8:48.03 NR PB |
| 3 | KEN | CHEROTICH Faith | 8:57.65 |
| 4 | USA | CONSTIEN Valerie | 9:04.92 |
| 5 | TUN | BOUZAYANI Marwa | 9:04.93NR PB |
| 6 | USA | JENNINGS Gabrielle | 9:07.70PB |
| 7 | KAZ | JERUTO Norah | 9:10.43 |
| 8 | GER | MEYER Lea | 9:11.37 |
| 9 | USA | WAYMENT Courtney | 9:14.46 |
| 10 | GER | GÜRTH Olivia | 9:15.17 PB |
| 11 | ESP | SÁNCHEZ-ESCRIBANO Irene | 9:18.78 |
| 12 | POL | KRÓLIK Kinga | 9:26.78 |
| 13 | FIN | MONONEN Ilona | 9:32.61 |
| 14 | POL | KONIECZEK Aneta | 9:48.03 |
| DNF | POL | CHORZEPA Agnieszka 1K 2:55.0 - 2K 5:53.0 | |
| DNF | ETH | MULETA Lomi |
The Rome Diamond League featured other remarkable performances across various events.
Women’s 100 metres hurdles:
Ackera Nugent from Jamaica won her second consecutive win in the Diamond League with a world lead, meeting record and national record of 12.24 into a headwind of -0.4 m/s tying the fourth fastest time in history. Nugent had won in Chorzow in a meeting record of 12.29 last Sunday. The Jamaican hurdler crashed out of the Olympic 100 metres hurdles final.
Olympic champion Masai Russell finished second in 12.31 ahead of Nadine Visser from the Netherlands (12.52), Olympic silver medallist Cyrena Samba Mayela (12.57) and Alaysha Johnson (44.66).
Ackera Nugent: “This victory is not like a revenge for the Olympics for me. I am just in a really good shape. I was injured before and this is a new experience for me. I am still so young. I am so full of adrenaline. I expected to win here. I enjoyed this race”.
Women’s 1500 metres:
Olympic and world champion Faith Kipyegon won the women’s 1500 metres in 3:52.89 to secure her spot in the Diamond League Final in Brussels. Kipyegon claimed her second win at Golden Gala one year after breaking the world record in Florence in the 1500m with 3:49.11. She improved this record to 3:49.04 in Paris. Freweyni Hailu from Ethiopia improved her PB to 3:54.16 to take second place ahead of her compatriot Birke Haylom (3:54.79), Jessica Hull from Australia (3:54.98), Nelly Chepchirchir (PB 3:56.14). Sintayehu Vissa from Italy missed her national record by just 0.01 to finish sixth in 3:58.12 beating Ethiopia’s Worknesh Mesel (3:58.15). Olympic 10000m silver medallist Nadia Battocletti has become the third Italian athlete in history to break the 4 minutes barrier with her PB of 3:59.19.
Faith Kipyegon: “I am so happy. I am satisfied with the pace and with how the race went. It was all about qualifying for the Diamond League final, about getting the points. I enjoyed the race, but I did not see the time. Golden Gala is a great meeting. The world record was not for today with the Olympic Games only two weeks ago.”
Men’s 100 metres:
Olympic 200 metres champion Letsile Tebogo stormed to a win in the men’s 100 metres in 9.87. Tebogo has clinched his third consecutive Diamond League win since the Olympic Games in Paris following his victories in the 200 metres in Lausanne and Silesia. Tebogo finished sixth in the 100 metres Olympic final in a national record of 9.86.
Tebogo overhauled last year’s Diamond League Final winner and world indoor record holder Christian Coleman (9.92) and Olympic bronze medallist Fred Kerley (9”95).
Letsile Tebogo: “This was one of my best 100 metres races. Today I had a good start and it made me think: “why did I not have one like this in the Olympic final’. Actually I did not plan to set a PB today. I remember how my body felt after the last time I ran 9.8. It was hard to come back from that to run the 200 metres the next day in Paris. I still have more races coming up and I did not want to get injured before Zurich”.
Men’s 400 metres:
Olympic bronze medallist Muzala Samukonga from Zambia held off 2012 Olympic champion Kirani James on the home straight to win the men’s 400 metres in 43.99. Samukonga claimed the first ever Diamond League win of his career. James finished second in 44.30 ahead of Jereem Richards (44.55), Bayapo Ndori (44.56).
Muzala Samukonga: “My life changed completely this year. It is hard to even explain fully. I am recognizable in my home country now and it is not easy sometimes. You have to be strong enough as an athlete to deal with it. The win in the Diamond League means a lot to me. Running sub-44 is not easy. I have still the Diamond League Final coming up”.
Women’s 200 metres:
Olympic bronze medallist Brittany Brown clocked 22.00 to claim her second win of the season in the Diamond League. Anavia Battle finished second in 22.27 ahead of European silver medallist Daryll Neita (22.46), Jessika Gbai from Ivory Coast (22.51) and European champion Mujinga Kambundji from Switzerland (22.53).
Brittany Brown: “I ran a good race. I just put together tonight. That is something I am happy about. Having won an Olympic medal, I can approach the rest of the season as fun. I can run more relaxed, but it is focused-relaxed.What I expect from the Diamond League final is to dominate. It is about putting together a good result. My career goal would be to win a global gold. I have the bronze from the Olympics and silver from the World Champs in Doha. I need to complete that collection”.
Women’s 400 metres hurdles:
Olympic silver medallist Anna Cockrell won the women’s 400 metres hurdles in 52.59 holding off Jamaica’s Shiann Salmon (53.20) on the home straight. Shamier Little finished third in in 54.15 ahead of Jamaica’s Janieve Russell (54.45).
Anna Cockrell: “This is my first Diamond League win, so it is pretty exciting. My birthday was two days ago, so it a great birthday present. This has been a year of many breakthroughs for me. My first sub-53, my first 52, now this. It came from me deciding to be more aggressive in my races. Today I planned to take it aggressively over hurdles through 3 and I did. I was not happy about my hurdle 10. That should have been faster. I am staying in Europe for another couple of weeks”.
Men’s shot put:
Three-time Olympic champion Ryan Crouser threw 22.26m in the first round to improve Konrad Bukowiecki’s meeting record. Crouser improved this mark to 22.49m in the second round. Every single of his six throws went beyond the 22 metres barrier. Italian record holder Leonardo Fabbri finished second with 21.70m in the venue where he won the European title last June. Fabbri had a very long first round that looked further than 22.00m, but was ruled out as it missed the quadrant. Payton Otterdahl took third place with 21.63m beating Joe Kovacs (21.62m) and Rajindra Campbell from Jamaica (21.52m).
Ryan Crouser: “Not that today’s mark is not big, but I believe that I can still get into world record territory. I am trending in the right direction. Mentally and physically you reach your peak at the Olympics, but you can compensate for not being there with being more relaxed”.
Men’s discus throw:
European champion Kristjan Ceh from Slovenia won for the second time in his career in the men’s discus throw at the Rome Golden Gala with a throw of 68.61m in the Final 3. Olympic champion Roje Stona from Jamaica, who is coached by Crouser, took the lead with 67.85m in the second round and remained in top position until the sixth round. Ceh earned a top 3 spot only in the fifth round before pulling out an impressive 68.61m in the sixth attempt to snatch the win from Stona with his final throw. World record holder Mykolas Alekna from Lithuania took third place with 67.68m. ahead of Olympic bronze medallist Matthew Denny (66.44m).
Kristjan Ceh: “This stadium is lucky for me, since I won the European Champs as well. It is one of the prettiest stadiums and a lot of people come to watch, so I love competing here.
Women’s pole vault:
Olympic and world champion Nina Kennedy had a clean sheet as the bar until 4.73m in the women’s pole vault before clearing 4.83m at the second time of asking to take the win on countback over Sandi Morris, who cleared a seasonal best of 4.83m in her third attempt. Both Kennedy and Morris passed at 4.88m and the bar went up at 4.93m.
Nina Kennedy: “It was a really good competition. Coming off the Olympics is really difficult. A lot of girls are quite tired. I went back to Australia and then coming back to Europe was really difficult. I am very tired. Just to get the win and attempt a new PB is really good”.
Women’s long jump:
Olympic champion Tara Davis Woodhall leapt to 7.02m in the second attempt to clinch her first ever win in a Diamond League meeting. Monae Nichols took second place with 6.82m ahead of Quanesha Burks (6.66m).
Tara Davis Woodhall: “It’s almost surreal. I mean none has jumped 7 metres so many times this year like me. I have been undefeated. I am tired. Tomorrow I will fly to Paris. I just want to see my husband Hunter Woodhall race at the Paralympics”.
Men’s high jump:
Sanghyeok Woo from South Korea had a clean sheet until 2.27m before clearing 2.30m in his third attempt. Romaine Beckford cleared 2.27m and 2.30m at the third time of asking . Beckford was not able to clear 2.33m. Woo took the win on countback to secure his qualifying spot for the Diamond League final in Brussels.
Sanghyeok Woo: “The track here is perfect and the Italian people are great. I am a good friend of Gianmarco Tamberi. I love competing against him in his country. 2.30m Is something I wanted to do this year and I am happy I did it today”
Reigning World and European champion Gianmarco Tamberi cleared 2.27m in the second attempt. Tamberi failed his third attempt at 2.30m and shared third place with Oleh Doroshchuk.
Men’s triple jump:
Olympic bronze medallist and two-time Diamond League winner Andy Diaz Hernandez from Italy leapt to 17.32m in the second round to claim the seventh win of his career in a Diamond League meeting. Max Hess from Germany took second place with 17.01m.
Andy Diaz: “I am very happy. I won in front of my home crowd. It was a beautiful competition at home in the amazing Stadio Olimpico. I gave everything I had. The result is OK. I had a cramp in my left leg, so I had only two valid attempts”.
Men’s 5000 metres:
Ethiopia completed a top-three sweep. Hagos Gebrhiwet ran 12:51.07 to win the men’s 5000 metres beating his compatriots Yomif Kejelcha (12:51.25) and 2021 Olympic champion Selemon Barega (12:51.39). Jacob Krop was the top Kenyan athlete in fourth place in 12:51.55 ahead of Telahun Haile Bekele (12.51.59), Berihu Aregawi (12:54.12), Mohamed Ahmed (12:54.90) and Dominic Lobalu (12:59.16).
Hiwot Gebrhiwet: “This was a very nice race and the track is fast, so I am really happy. Our tactics is that we Ethiopians work together. We have many good Ethiopian 5000m runners, an if one gets tired, another can help with the pace. In Paris I was unlucky because after the qualification I got corona so it was very difficult for me”.
Men’s 110 metres hurdles:
Sasha Zhoya from France won the second Diamond League race of his career in the men’s 110 metres hurdles in 13.18 in a non-Diamond League scoring race following his victory in Paris last July. Asler Martinez from Spain took second place in 13.27 ahead of Omar McLeod (13.28).
Sasha Zhoya:
“I am happy. I was a little down at the Olympics, but things are getting back to normal. The heat was not a problem today. I come from Australia, so for me, the hotter, the better. The fans made it sound like a football stadium during a football stadium.”
