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Brave Avinash Sable breaks national steeplechase mark, gets final spot at World Championships
Sable initially could not progress to the final as he finished seventh in his heat following the disruptions, but following an appeal by the Athletics Federation of India, he was included in the list of finalists.
Knocked down twice after an Ethiopian runner in front went to ground, India’s Avinash Sable recovered brilliantly and kept pace with some of the world’s best to improve his national record in the 3000m steeplechase at the world athletics championship in Doha on Tuesday. The 24-year-old Army runner clocked an impressive 8:25.34 seconds, a substantial improvement on his national mark of 8:28.94 clocked in Patiala in the Federation Cup in March.
Sable initially could not progress to the final as he finished seventh in his heat following the disruptions, but following an appeal by the Athletics Federation of India, he was included in the list of finalists. His two falls, however, dashed Sable’s hopes of achieving the Tokyo Olympics qualification mark of 8:22.00.
The 24-year-old Army runner from Beed, Maharashtra had targetted a sub 8:22 race. The top three in each heat and the next six fastest advanced to the final. Zak Seddon of Great Britain clocked 8:22.51 secs and was the 15th and last runner to qualify, before Sable’s inclusion.
The race began poorly for Sable, who saw Ethiopia’s Takele Nigate go down after being tripped inside the first 30 metres. Sable, right behind him, tripped but somehow avoided a heavy fall and picked himself up to join the leading runners.
However, the Ethiopian, shaken by the fall, again slipped just before clearing the hurdle at the first water jump and Sable, running right behind him, was again caught out. He resumed his race, but had to dig deep to find his rhythm.
“We had done good preparation and 8:20 was within Avinash’s reach, but the two falls affected his race,” said his coach Amrish Kumar.
Sable, whose 2018 season was blighted with injury, lost vital seconds but still managed to finish a creditable 20th overall. He had come into prominence after breaking Gopal Saini’s 30-year-old national record in Bhubaneswar in September last year.
