Africa-Press – Uganda. Peruth Chemutai’s career progress suffered a major set-back because of the lull brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
She sat out for a year before returning to finish sixth in a time of nine minutes and 53.75 seconds over the 3000m steeplechase event at the Kip Keino Classic in Nairobi, Kenya last October.
To be honest, that is far from her best. Chemutai’s personal best (PB) stands at 9:07.94 which is also the national record.
Before the pandemic, she had risen high to finish fifth in the steeplechase final at the 2019 Doha World Championships in Qatar.
Super show
It is the best finish by a Ugandan since Dorcus Inzikuru won the first-ever women’s steeplechase world title in Helsinki, Finland back in 2005.
And 19 months later, Chemutai will run outside the continent for the first time, with a return to the Qatari capital at the Doha Diamond League tomorrow evening. The 21-year-old will bid to put in a decent shift as she eyes to polish up for a podium finish at July’s Tokyo Olympics in Japan. “Peruth is in a good shape but the barriers are sometimes still a problem for her,” said her coach Addy Ruiter. She has been training in Kapchorwa and Kween in company of Joshua Cheptegei, Ronald Musagala, Rachael Zena Chebet and Boniface Sikowo. “And for steeplechase, she needs a few races before it goes well. And the field will be almost the same like the final in Tokyo,” added Ruiter.
Chemutai won her first water-jump race of the season with ease, posting 9:43.80 at the sixth National Trials in Namboole on April 24 but it could have been better had it not been her new spikes sucking up water over the barriers.
She will line-up in a tough 15-man field that comprises world record holder Kenyan Beatrice Chepkoech, American Emma Coburn and German star Felicitas Krause.
The trio did 1-2-3 at the Doha Worlds. There is also another Kenyan in Olympic silver medalist Hyvin Kiyeng to watch.
