Avinash Sable qualifies for Tokyo Olympics, sets new national record again

Avinash Sable set a new national record in the 300m steeplechase heats in the World Championship earlier this week. On Friday, he set another new national record in the final. This is the 4th time he has broken the NR in the last year. (File Photo)

Avinash Sable ran a race of his own to qualify for the Tokyo Olympic Games next year in the 3000-metre steeplechase event in the final of the Athletics World Championship in Doha on Friday. He also set a new national record with his time of 8.21.37. This is the fourth time he has set a new national record in the 3000m steeplechase event over the course of the last year, a record which had remained undisturbed since 1981.

Sable’s time of 8.21.37 was good enough to get him a 13th place finish in the Worlds final on Friday. Sable had said before the final that his aim would be to reach the Olympic cut-off – which has been set at 8.22.00 – and that attempting a medal place in the final would be too steep an aim.

Our #TOPSAthlete #AvinashSable has secured a place in the @Tokyo2020 @Olympics in men’s 3000m steeplechase after finishing the final at the World #Athletics C’ships in 13th place in a time of 8:21.37 which was within the qualifying cutoff of 8:22.00.

Many congratulations! pic.twitter.com/DLY334i7S5

— SAIMedia (@Media_SAI) October 4, 2019

Sable, an Indian Army havildar, who has served in Siachen and Rajasthan previously, has had a dramatic improvement in his times since June last year. In June 2018, at the Inter-State Championships in Guwahati, he recorded a timing of 8:49.25. This year, he has brought it down to 8:28.94 (at the Fed Cup in March), 8:25.33 (in the heats of the Worlds) and 8:21.37 (in the Worlds final) in successive races.