Avinash Sable becomes first Indian track athlete to qualify for 2024 Paris Olympics - WATCH
Sable at Commonwealth Games 2022 (Source: @avinash3000m)
India's Avinash Sable has become the first track athlete from the country to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Sable achieved the feat during the 3,000m steeplechase competition at the Silesia Diamond League. Sable clocked his second career-best time of 8 minutes and 11.63 seconds, beating the qualifying mark of 8:15.00 with a decent margin. His career-best is 8:11.20, which is also a national record in the event.
He finished sixth in the race which was won by reigning world and Olympic champion El Bakkali Soufiane in the meet record time of 8:03.16. Kenyan duo of Abraham Kibiwot (8:08.03) and Leonard Kipkemoi Bett (8:09.45) finished second and third, respectively.
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Sable is overall sixth Indian to qualify for the quadrennial event. Before him, 20km race walkers -- Akshadeep Singh, Vikas Singh and Paramjeet Singh Bisht qualified for the men's event.
Priyanka Goswami had qualified for the same women's event. Long jumper Murali Sreeshankar was the fifth one to qualify before Sable.
The Olympics committee considers men's and women's race walk in road events while the long jump comes under field event, making Sable the first track athlete from the country to qualify. The Olympic qualifications began July 1, 2023, and will continue till June 30, 2024.
The 28-year-old, with his sixth-place finish in Silesia, now has seven points in the Diamond League 2023 standings, including three from his latest race. Sable is currently ninth overall in the event in three Diamond League legs he took part in. He had finished 10th during the Rabat leg and a whopping fifth in Stockholm, with the timings of 8:17.18 and 8:21.88, respectively.
The athletes are awarded points instead of medals at eight legs of Diamond League in the run-up to the final. Top eight finishers overall of each event after all eight legs compete in the final for the trophy. The Diamond League Final 2023 will be held in Eugene, USA on September 16 and 17.
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