Avinash Sable qualifies for Paris Olympics

The national record holder finished sixth at the Silesia Diamond League.

India’s national record holder Avinash Sable finishes a credible sixth with a timing of 08:11.63 in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Silesia Diamond League. In the process, he becomes the latest entrant to breach the Paris Olympics qualification mark – 08:15.00, a day after his compatriot Murali Sreeshankar achieved the mark in Long Jump.

The race started with a slow pace with Avinash initially placed behind the top 10. In the latter half, the long-distance runner gained momentum and was close to finishing inside the top 5 but a stumble in the final hurdle did not help the cause with the Indian settling for the sixth spot. The field consisted of several high-profile athletes – Soufiane El Bakkali, Abhraham Kiwiot, and Sime Abraham.

Avinash Sable will now eye for Diamond League finals qualification

The sixth place finish here, fetches the Commonwealth Games 2022 silver medalist, three valuable points and overall is ranked ninth with seven ranking points. A few more good races will help the Indian qualify for the Diamond League finals scheduled to be later this year in Eugene, USA.

Avinash Sable, 28, prior to this meet, had taken part in two Diamond League events – in Morocco and Sweden. The pace of the race in the former and the weather conditions in the latter did not allow the Indian to put up his best performance. The day was set here in Poland and although he finished sixth, Sable came close to breaching his own national record – 08:11.20.

The national record holder was amongst the two athletes to be excluded from the Inter-States Athletics meet in order to train for the World Championships. He was also later exempted from the Asian Athletics Championships and the move has paid off with Sable securing his season-best performance a few weeks ahead of the World Championships.

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