Avinash Sable ended his season on a strong note, finishing 9th in the men’s 3000m steeplechase event in his maiden appearance in the prestigious Diamond League Final. On Friday, September 13, Sable clocked his fourth-best timing of the season – 8:17.09 seconds in Brussels, Belgium.
Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco was beaten in the Diamond League Final as 22-year-old Kenyan Amos Serem won the race, clinching his maiden Diamond Trophy in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. The former U20 world champion clocked a timing of 8:06.90 seconds, piping El Bakkali by nearly two seconds (8:08.60 seconds).
It was the first time since September 2021 that Olympic champion El Bakkali lost a 3000m steeplechase race.
Unlike the previous races in the season, Avinash Sable was not able to set the pace in the 3000m steeplechase final in Brussels. Sable was trying to keep pace with the rest of the pack in the 12-man race and did well in the end to finish ninth.
On the other hand, the tussle between Serem and El Bakkali stole the show on Friday evening. Serem kept pushing El Bakkali and dominated the last lap. He gave the Moroccan Olympic champion no chance to overtake him in the home stretch.
Tunisia’s Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui finished third with a timing of 8:09.68 seconds. Olympic bronze medalist Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya finished fourth after clocking 8:10.51 seconds.
For Avinash Sable, it was a morale-boosting race in another impressive season. Sable broke the national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase for the 10th time with a timing of 8:09.91 seconds in the Paris Diamond League, finishing sixth in the race.
SABLE’S 2024 SEASON IN A GLIMPSE
- Finished 9th in Diamond League Final in Brussels in September – 8:17.09 seconds
- Finished 14th in the Silesia Diamond League in August – 8:29.96 seconds
- Finished 11th in the Paris Olympics final in August – 8:14.18 seconds
- Finished 6th in the Paris Diamond League in July – 8:09.91 seconds (NR)
- Won the Indian Championships in June – 8:31.75 seconds
- Finished 2nd in the Portland Track Festival in June – 8:21.85 seconds
He finished 11th in the Olympic final in Paris in August, clocking 8:14.18 seconds. Sable, 30, finished 14th in the Silesia Diamond League in August, clocking 8:29.96 seconds. The Indian steeplechaser qualified for his maiden Diamond League Final despite finishing 14th. With only the top 12 at the end of the Silesia Diamond League qualifying for the final in Brussels, Avinash benefitted from the withdrawals of as many as four athletes who finished above him.
India had two representatives for the first time in the history of the Diamond League. Neeraj Chopra, the Olympic silver medallist from Paris, will be in action in a six-man men’s javelin field on Saturday, September 14. Neeraj is favourite to win the Diamond League Trophy for the second time in his career. He faces competition from Grenada’s Anderson Peters and Germany’s Julian Weber.
