Paris 2024 Olympics: What is Avinash Sable's personal best in 3000m steeplechase?
Avinash Sable will represent India in the men's 3000m steeplechase event at the Paris Olympics 2024. The first round of the event will take place on August 4 and will run until August 8.
Sable's personal best performance in the 3000m steeplechase came earlier this month in the Diamond League in Paris. He finished sixth with a timing of 8:09.91 and broke his national record by more than a second. Interestingly, it was the 10th time he had broken his national record.
Previously. he had clocked 8:11.20 to win the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham. With this performance, he became the first athlete outside of Kenya to have a podium finish in the men's 3000m steeplechase since 1994.
The 29-year-old secured a silver in the Asian Athletics Championships 2019 with a timing of 8:30.19. After improving his time to 8:21.37 at the IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Doha, Sable qualified for the Tokyo Olympics. He became the first Indian athlete to qualify for the steeplechase event at the Games after Gulzara Singh Mann in 1952.
Although Sable did well to set another national record with a timing of 8:18.12 in the 2020 Games, he finished 13th and did not advance into the final round.
The 2022 Asian Games was also a successful campaign for Sable, as he secured a gold in the 3000m steeplechase and a silver in the 5000m events. Interestingly, he registered a Games record with a timing of 8:19.50 in the 3000m steeplechase.
Performances of Avinash Sable in 2024
Joining the Indian Army’s athletics program in 2015, Avinash Sable has become a premier long-distance runner in the country.
Sable has participated in a total of six competitions in different events in 2024. In the 3000m steeplechase event, he participated in two other events apart from the aforementioned Paris Diamond League.
He was placed second with a timing of 8:21.85 at the Portland Track Festival, while had a gold medal finish in the Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships 2024 with a timing of 8:31.75.
It will be interesting to see if Avinash Sable can deliver on the promise of Indian fans by securing a medal for the country.