Olympic athletics: Chemutai denied by Yavi in steeplechase sprint finish at Paris 2024

Chemutai came into the race looking to earn her nation a second athletics gold at the Games, following on from Joshua Cheptegei’s victory in the men’s 10,000m.

However, it was Kenyan world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech who led for much of the race until Chemutai decided to wind up the pace.

The 25-year old held the advantage at the bell, positioned at the head of a group of five athletes which included Chepkoech, Cherotich and Ethiopia’s Sembo Almayew, as well as the more diminutive Yavi, who was happy to bide her time while the others jockeyed for position.

As the crowd in the Stade de France raised the noise, Chemutai and Yavi, 23, pulled ahead of the pack to begin their head-to-head battle over the last 100 metres.

Ultimately, it was Yavi who had the greater stamina to cross the line first, arms outstretched to embrace victory.

Having switched allegiance from Kenya to Bahrain at the age of 15, she becomes the third competitor to win athletics gold for her country at the Olympics.

And she celebrated her achievement by dancing and screaming her delight, with Chemutai and the rest of her opponents strewn, exhausted and dejected, across the track.