Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai saw her medal hopes crushed at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo after a fall forced her out of the women’s 3000m steeplechase final on Wednesday.
The athlete, who became Uganda’s first female Olympic gold medalist at the 2020 Games, entered the final as a strong favorite. She had set the fastest qualifying time of all heats with 9:07.68 and looked composed through the early laps.
But six minutes into the race, Chemutai stumbled on a barrier and fell hard, ending what had been a confident bid for another global title. Medical staff quickly attended to her as the race continued.
With the Ugandan out, Kenya’s rising star Faith Cherotich surged to victory in 8:51.59. Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi took silver in 8:56.46 and Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew claimed bronze in 8:58.86.
Chemutai has not yet spoken publicly about the incident, but team officials said she was unhurt beyond the disappointment of a race that had promised so much.
