Indian steeplechaser Avinash Sable made history by reaching the final of the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Paris 2024 Olympics. However, in the final, he faced tough competition and finished 11th with a time of 8 minutes 14.18 seconds.
Avinash Sable’s performance in the final
Sable had clocked a national record of 8:09.91 in the same city (Paris) just a month before the Olympics. Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate that performance on the Olympic stage.
Sable began the race quickly, leading the pack in the opening lap. However, as the race progressed, he fell behind and was fourth at the 1000m mark and seventh by the end of the second lap.
The race featured strong competitors, including Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who defended his Olympic title with a season-best time of 8:06.05. The USA’s Kenneth Rooks (8:06.41) and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot (8:06.47) secured the other podium spots. Girma, the world record holder with a time of 7:52.11, suffered a fall and did not finish the race (DNF).
Sable finished over four seconds behind his own national record. Had he matched his previous best, he would have earned eighth place in the final.
🇮🇳💔 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗹𝘂𝗰𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗔𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲! A good effort from Avinash Sable in the final of the men's 3000m steeplechase event but it unfortunately wasn't enough to secure a top 3 finish.
🏃 He finished at 11th with a timing of 8:14.18.
👉 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄… pic.twitter.com/VMVYaPj38d
— India at Paris 2024 Olympics (@sportwalkmedia) August 7, 2024
Sable qualified for the final by meeting the direct entry standard of 8:15.00. At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, he failed to qualify after finishing seventh in his heats but was the fastest non-qualifier across all heats.
Meanwhile, Indian athletes Pravin Chithravel and Abdulla Aboobacker fell short in the men’s triple jump, missing the qualification standard of 17.10m.
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