Paris (France): India's track and field athlete Avinash Sable finished 11th in the final of the men's 3000m steeplechase race event at the ongoing Paris Olympics 2024 here on Wednesday night. Avinash clocked the timing of 08:14:18 in the final, well behind the third finished or bronze medalist Kenya's Abraham Kibiwot's timing of 8:06.47.
Avinash, who hails from Maharashtra, had qualified for the finals after finishing fifth with a time of 8:15:43 in the second heat of the qualification round. The players who were in the top five in each heat got a place in the finals and in this way, with three heats, 15 players made it to the finals.
Despite failing to bag a medal, the 29-year-old qualified for the 2025 World Championships at 8:14:18. The World Championships qualification mark was 8:15:00.
Avinash Sable made a scintillating start, finishing the first lap at number place, setting the pace and leading the pack. But then, he got slow and started to drop down as all three Ethiopian racers led the group of runners. The Indian racer continued to fall behind and was almost in the middle of the pack after the fourth lap.
With the last two laps remaining, Avinash Sable was placed 13th out of the 16 runners. However, he made a slight comeback and moved to the 11th spot, but he again dropped down to 15th spot before the final lap. He sprinted in his skin but managed to finish at the 11th spot.
Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won gold with a timing of 8:06.05 while the USA’s Kenneth Rooks (8:06.41) and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot (8:06.47) collected silver and bronze respectively.
