Faith Cherotich produced a stunning late surge to win the women’s 3000m steeplechase at the Brussels Diamond League on Friday, 3 September setting a new meeting record of 8:51.61.Cherotich had initially sat in third as the race settled, with Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai and Bahrain’s Olympic champion Winfred Yavi among those setting the early pace.Download our Mozzart Sport App for more newsAs the race progressed, Yavi moved into the lead, with Cherotich following in second and Chemutai occupying third.With the bell sounding for the final lap, Doris Lemngole had moved into contention as Chemutai began to drop back.Cherotich then unleashed her trademark finishing kick, pulling away from the chasing pack to secure victory in a meeting-record time of 8:51.61.##NAJAVA_MECA_936828##Lemngole followed in second in a personal best of 8:52.86, while Yavi completed the podium in 8:53.54.The victory strengthened Cherotich’s grip on the Diamond League standings, taking her tally to 36 points and underlining her consistency throughout the circuit.Tunisia’s Marwa Bouzayani had occupied second place with 31 points, while Chemutai had been third on 26.Yavi had been fourth on 22 points, with 2025 National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) steeplechase champion Lemngole completing the top five on 17 points.Two-month wait ends as World Athletics ratifies wanyonyi’s 1,000m recordCherotich entered Brussels as the defending Diamond League champion after producing a masterclass in Zurich the previous year, where she had surged to her maiden finals trophy in 8:57.24.She used a strong finishing kick to defeat Kazakhstan’s Norah Jeruto, who finished second in 9:10.87, while Bouzayani took third in 9:12.03.That breakthrough triumph proved to be the springboard for an even greater milestone, with Cherotich going on to capture the world title in Tokyo in 8:51.59.The 22-year-old headed into Brussels in red-hot form following her commanding victory at the Zurich Diamond League leg the previous weekend.Omanyala reveals timeline for return to training after ending season earlyCherotich had powered home in 8:55.82 to lead a Kenyan 1-2 finish, with Lemngole taking second in a personal best of 8:55.94 and Chemutai completing the podium in 8:58.28.Her only setback in the Diamond League campaign had come at the Lausanne leg on August 21, where she had finished second behind Yavi.Cherotich had clocked 9:01.90, with Yavi winning in a meeting-record 9:00.04 and Bouzayani finishing third in 9:05.55.The Kenyan had opened her season in Shanghai on 16 May with a runner-up finish in 8:51.48, narrowly missing out on victory to Chemutai, who had won in 8:51.47.A week later in Xiamen, Cherotich had finished third in 8:52.53, behind Chemutai (8:51.06) and Yavi (8:51.54).Her long-awaited breakthrough had arrived on July 4 at the Prefontaine Classic, where she had produced another powerful finishing kick to defeat Yavi and Bouzayani and claim her maiden Diamond League victory in 8:51.74.Yavi finished second in 8:52.84, while Bouzayani had taken third in 8:54.32.Before the Lausanne setback, Cherotich delivered one of the defining performances of her season by winning the Commonwealth Games title on 29 July.Jakob Ingebrigtsen set for sensational return at Ultimate ChampionshipShe stormed to a Games record of 9:01.76, lowering the previous mark of 9:15.68 set by compatriot Jackline Chepkoech at the 2022 Birmingham Games.England’s Elise Thorner claimed silver in 9:05.45, while Chemutai had taken bronze in 9:09.96.