Peruth Chemutai won a silver medal for Uganda in the Women’s 3000m Steeplechase final on Tuesday night inside a fully packed Stade de France. This is Uganda’s second medal at the ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics.
Chemutai crossed the finishing line second with a new National Record of 8:53.34 behind Bahrain’s Winfred Mutile Yavi who clocked 8:52.76
Yavi clinched Gold in a new Olympic Record that previously stood at 8:58.81.
While Kenya’s Faith Cherotich bagged bronze with 8:55.15 with the spirited third-place finish, as French national, Alice Finot was fourth with her best time of 8:55.15.
“This is a dream come true. It has been such a hard journey to get to this point. In the final I was expecting something good. I just felt good about the race. I believed in myself, that I had that finishing speed,’’ Chemutai said in her twitter (X) account
Yavi’s winning time of 8:52.76 is the fourth fastest performance of all time – a mark that only she and Chepkoech have ever bettered. Chepkoech set her world record of 8:44.32 in Monaco in 2018, while Yavi ran 8:50.66 to win ahead of Chepkoech (8:51.67) in Eugene last September.
They were followed over the finish line in Paris by Cherotich, Finot, Almayew (9:00.83) and Chepkoech (9:04.24) as the top 10 all went sub-9:10.00.
Elizabeth Bird set a British record of 9:04.35 in seventh place, while Ethiopia’s Lomi Muleta was eighth, Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto was ninth and Germany’s Lea Meyer 10th.
Joshua Cheptegei won the first medal, a gold in the men’s 10,000m race with an Olympic record.
Chemutai failed to replicate what she did in Tokyo, Japan 2020 Olympics where she won gold in the 3000m Steeplechase race.
The second medal placed Uganda in 33rd position with one gold, one silver out of the 206 countries by Wednesday morning.
Meanwhile, the men 3000m steeple chase final will be held today 7th August 2024.