Paris Olympics 2024: Avinash Sable qualifies for men's 3000m steeplechase final

Avinash Sable starts his Paris Olympics 2024 campaign on the right note.

Avinash Sable put up an impressive performance to qualify for the finals of the men’s 3000m Steeplechase event at Paris Olympics 2024. He finished fifth in Heat 2 with a timing of 8:15.43, thus securing automatic qualification. The finals will be held on 8 August (1:13 am IST).

The 29-year-old from Beed, Maharashtra had qualified for the Olympics with a timing of 8:11.63 in the Silesian Diamond League 2023.

Avinash Sable qualifies for men's 3000m steeplechase finals in #PARIS2024 with a dashing timing of 8:15:43. He finishes fifth. 🇮🇳🙌Top five from the heats qualify for the finals.#Athletics #OlympicGames pic.twitter.com/kBXPTCWYOr

— Khel Now (@KhelNow) August 5, 2024

At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, he set a new national record, clocking 8:18.12. He finished seventh in his heats three years ago and narrowly missed out on a spot in the final. In fact, he was the fastest non-qualifier across all heats.

The results were different at Paris Olympics 2024. In heat 2 of the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable started quick, leading the pack, intending to be the pace setter. Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya then overtook him, and so did Samuel Firewu of Ethiopia.

Also Read: Athletics: Indian national record holders in each track and field event

By the time half of the distance was covered, Japanese Ryuji Miura too crossed him, and Sable was now fourth. After the end of about five and a half minutes, Sable showed intent. He tried to return to the front of the pack again and was soon running second behind Kibiwot.

However, an error in landing at a water pit gave an opportunity for others to overtake him. In the meantime, Moroccan Mohamed Tindouft too upped his pace. Sable, eventually, could never really jostle his way back to the front. In fact, the above mentioned four athletes had broken away from the rest of pack.

Avinash Sable then shifted his focus to safely finishing the race, without slipping further behind, as the top five athletes from each race would secure automatic qualification. Obviously, he wanted to conserve energy, which could potentially come useful in the final.

Also Read: Paris Olympics 2024: Kiran Pahal fails to qualify for semi-finals in women’s 400m

At the end of the race, Avinash Sable kept looking back, to check if there was anyone who could cross him. However, the gap was too large. American Matthew Wilkinson at the end tried to overtake Sable, but it was too late.

Tindouft finished first with a personal best timing of 8:10.62. He was followed by Firewu, Kibiwot, Miura and then Avinash Sable.

Reigning Olympic Champion Moroccan Soufiane El Bakkali topped the first heat, with a timing of 8:17.90. Ethiopian Lamecha Girma, the silver medallist at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, topped the third heat with a timing of 8:23.89.

The eyes of a billion Indian fans will be on Avinash Sable, when he takes the field in the early hours of 8th August. While he is not an outright medal favourite, Sable, a Naib Subedar from the Mahar Regiment, is not new to achieving new milestones. He is arguably India’s best bet at a track and field medal, after Neeraj Chopra.

Avinash Sable, participating in his maiden Olympic final, after the narrow miss at Tokyo, would want to put up his best performance for a podium finish.

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