Firstpost.com takes a quick look at steeplechaser Avinash Sable’s performances over the past two years, and charts his journey towards securing Olympic qualification.
File image of Avinash Sable
Editor’s Note: For five years now, Indian athletes have been dreaming to make up for the disappointment of a two-medal haul in Rio. The span has been extraordinary, with COVID-19 having thrown their preparations – and the Olympics itself – off gear. However, in true Olympic spirit, the country’s finest sportspersons have battled form and uncertainty to put their best foot forward in what promises to be a Games like none other. In our latest series, we track the last two years’ performances of our athletes to give you a ready guide to their form leading into the biggest sporting spectacle of the world.
Avinash Sable’s build-up to the Olympics began with a gold medal-winning performance at the Federation Cup in March 2019, where he clocked a time of 8:28.94 in the 3000m steeplechase and in doing so, qualified for the World Championships.
Sable then went on to secure qualification for the Tokyo Olympics in October 2019, when he cleared the Olympic cut-off of 8:22:00 with a time of 8:21:37. That time was recorded during the Athletics World Championship final, leading him to a 13th-place finish at the tournament. The time was also a national record, beating out his own previous record of 8:25:23, which he had set in the heats of the same competition.
Half-marathon success
To keep fit and assess his progress, Sable also participated in a few half-marathons, most notable of which was the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon, where he put in an astounding shift, finishing 10th overall with a time of 1:00:30. It was the first time an Indian managed to finish in under 61 minutes in a half marathon, and his time also broke the Indian half-marathon record by more than three minutes, as well as outdoing the event record by more than four minutes.
“After I qualified, there was less time on hand (to improve my performance) for Olympics but since the event has got postponed, I am using it to improve the basics like endurance, speed, and technique. I have made a lot of improvements on all the fronts,” Sable told Firstpost.com ahead of the half-marathon.
Sable then battled through grief to better the national record once again in 2021, posting a new time of 8:20:20 at the Federation Cup on 17 March 2021, just weeks after the death of his coach Nikolai Snesarev.
Click here to check out form guides for the rest of the Indian contingent at the Tokyo Olympics 2020.
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