Avinash Sable recorded his fourth-best time of the season in his maiden men's 3000m steeplechase final at the Diamond League on September 13. Sable completed the race in 8 minutes 17.09 seconds in Brussels, Belgium.
Kenya's 22-year-old Amos Serem won his maiden DIamond League final as he clocked 8:06.90. Olympic champion Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali finished second with a time of 8:08.60. This was Bakkali's first lost since September 2021.
Olympic bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwot finished fourth clocking 8:10.51. He was beaten to the third place by Tunisia's Mohamed Amin Jihnaoui who recorded a time of 8:09.68.
Earlier, Sable made it to the final despite finishing 14th in the standings. Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma got injured and New Zealand's Geordie Beamish, Japan's Ryuji Mura and USA's Hillary Bor pulled out of the final.
Before competing in the final, the Asian Games champion Sable made appearaces in two events. Before the Paris Olympics 2024, he broke the national record with a time of 8:09.91. He finished sixth in the Paris leg of the Diamond League with a stellar performance. He was lacklustre in the Silesia leg finishing 14th with a time of 8:29.96. The event took place after the Paris Olympics on August 25. He had a total of three points from two events.
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Prize Money for athletes
Serem got a wild card for the World Athletics Championships along with the award of USD 30,000. Second-placed El Bakkali went back home with USD 12,000. Sable missed out on the piece of prize money as athletes who finished third to eighth got USD 1,000 each.
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Despite the loss, Sable helped India create history in Diamond League. This is the first time two Indian athletes have participated in a Diamond League final.
Neeraj’s chance to break the barrier
Two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra will qualify in the final on September 14. Neeraj who competed in two events finished fourth in the standings. He skipped the Zurich leg having already confirmed his place in the final. Once again, Neeraj will aim to break the 90m barrier he has come close to this season twice. He will face stiff competition from Grenada’s Anderson Peters in the absence of Paris Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem.
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