Winfred Yavi undaunted by faulty start to season as she plots comeback

Winfred Yavi undaunted by faulty start to season as she plots comeback

Abigael Wafula 11:40 - 29.05.2024

Winfred Yavi is not shaken by her poor start to her focus and is going back to the drawing board as she seeks a strong comeback in her next race.

World 3000m steeplechase champion Winfred Yavi opened her season at the Prefontaine Classic, the Diamond League Meeting in Eugene but failed to live up to expectations.

The 25-year-old faded and finished ninth, clocking 9:21.62 to cross the finish line in the hotly contested race. The race was won by Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai, who clocked 8:55.09 ahead of world record holder Beatrice Chepkoech who stopped the clock at 8:56.51.

Youngster Faith Cherotich, the world 3000m steeplechase bronze medallist completed the podium, after clocking an impressive 9:04.45.

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Yavi took to her Instagram to appreciate her fans and management and noted that Eugene will always be a favourite place for her.

“Big thanks to my fans, our team, coach and family. Eugene remains special for us, this year we are taking the lessons learned and staying focused on our goals for the rest of the year. Appreciate all the support,” Yavi said.

Meanwhile, the Kenyan-born Bahraini was on fire last season, where she was only beaten once in her specialty. She started her season with a win at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha before finishing 11th at the meeting in Florence.

Yavi then proceeded to win all her races after that, bagging the top prize at the Arab Games, then the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary before claiming wins in Zurich and the Diamond League Meeting final in Eugene, Oregon. She was not done when she went on to end her busy season at the 19th Asian Games with a dominant win.

The talented steeplechaser is one of the athletes who have opened their seasons late but she is unbothered by her performance and keeps her focus on the Paris 2024 Olympics, the crème de la crème of track and field this season.

She will be hoping to upset the crop of talented runners from Kenya once again and has been training towards the goal.

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