Avinash Sable has managed to qualify for his maiden Diamond League Final in Brussels. Sable will be the second Indian athlete competing at the event. Neeraj Chopra finished fourth in the standings despite opting out of the Zurich leg.
Sable is placed 14th in Diamond League Standings whereas 12 top runners qualify for the final. He had just three points to his name. However, Ethiopia's Lamecha Girma got injured and New Zealand's Geordie Beamish, Japan's Ryuji Mura and USA's Hillary Bor will not compete in the final.
When will the Diamond League finale take place?
While Diamond League finale is a two-day affair, Sable's 3000m steeplecahse final is scheduled to take place on September 13. The men's javelin throw event will be taking place on September 14.
How Sable has fared in Diamond League so far
Earlier, Sable broke the national record by clocking 8:08.51 and finished sixth in the Paris leg of the Diamond League on July 17. However, on August 25, he finished 14th with a time of 8:29.96 in the Silesia leg.
Before the Silesia leg, Sable created history by becoming the first Indian to qualify for Olympics final in men's 3000m steeplechase. In the final, the 29-year-old clocked 8:14.18 and finished 11th.
Neeraj chasing the 90m mark
Chopra has 14 points from two outings where he finished second in Doha and Lausanne. In 2023 Diamond League final, he finished second. Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch won the title. However, Chopra is still looking to break the 90m barrier he has come agonisingly close to in the recent past. He skipped the Zurich leg to prevent overexerting his body as he had already confirmed his place in the final.
Prize money and other perks
The two Indian athletes are not just competing for the glittering 'Diamond Trophy' but a wild card for the World Athletics Championships. The winner will get prize money of USD 30,000. The runner up will get USD 12,000. Till the eighth place, athletes will get USD 1,000 each.
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