Paris 2024 Olympics: 3 players who could challenge Avinash Sable in men's 3000m steeplechase final
Indian runner Avinash Sable is gearing up for the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the Paris 2024 Olympics. Sable made history as the first Indian to qualify for the Olympic final in this event by finishing fifth in the first round with a time of 8:15.43 seconds. Earlier this year, Avinash Sable shattered his own national record in the men's 3000m steeplechase at the Paris Diamond League 2024, clocking in at 8:09.91 seconds.
However, the final won't be a walk in the park for Avinash Sable. That being said, let's take a closer look at three athletes who could give Avinash Sable a tough competition in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.
3 players who could bring in problems for Avinash Sable
#1 Soufiane El Bakkali
Since Volmari Iso-Hollo won the Olympic 3000m steeplechase in 1928 and 1932, no one has been able to successfully defend the title. With two global titles under his belt since his victory in Tokyo, Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali will be aiming for a second straight gold.
Due to an injury that disrupted his early season, the 28-year-old has only participated in two competitions this year. Before winning the 3000m steeplechase at home in May's Marrakech Diamond League, he finished third in Spain's Elgoibar Juan Muguerza International Cross Country.
El Bakkali is the back-to-back world champion and should he win in Paris, he will join two-time Olympic Games winners Ezekiel Kemboi of Kenya and Finland’s Iso-Hollo.
#2 Lamecha Girma
Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma, the current world record holder, will put up a strong fight against El Bakkali in his quest for a second straight Olympic gold medal. The 23-year-old will be aiming for his first global gold in the 3000m steeplechase in the same city where, at the Meeting de Paris Diamond League last year, he set a world record with a time of 7:52.11.
Girma has been quite busy this year, competing in the 1500m, 2000m, 3000m, and 5000m distances. He won silver in Tokyo and the previous three World Athletics Championships. The fastest time in the world this year is 8:01.63, which he set in June when he won the Diamond League in Stockholm.
#3 Amos Serem
Amos Serem, 21, was the gold medallist at the World Athletics U20 Championships in 2021. He is the winner of the national trials and is a member of the group entrusted with bringing steeplechasing glory back to Kenya.
In this event, Kenya has amassed a record 11 gold medals from the Olympics, and 21-year-old Serem, the silver medallist from the African Games and the global U20 champion in 2021, will look to add another to his collection. He has placed third in Marrakech and fourth in Doha thus far this season.