Avinash Sable's Journey - From Beed to Tokyo Olympics 2020

Avinash Sable is an Indian athlete and a national record holder in the 3000 meters steeplechase. His record-breaking personal best performances are a witness to his ebullience in improving his performance on the bigger platforms.

In the berserk world of athletics, where India has always been starving for a medal in the track and field, Avinash Sable has come out as an exception. From battling extreme weather conditions in the Indian Army to stepping past the Olympic qualification mark, it has been a solid journey for Sable.

Sable was always inclined towards contributing towards serving the country. Therefore, as soon as he finished his 12th standard, he joined the 5 Mahar regiment of Indian Army. Sable was first posted at the Siachen Glacier in 2013-2014. He was later transferred to the deserts of north-western Rajasthan and Sikkim in 2015.

Joining the Indian Army was a decisive moment for Sable. The recruitment, backing and cross border training that he received during the Army Days has come in handy. Even though the sport came naturally to Sable, his seriousness for the steeplechase was not a deliberate one until 2016.

Our steeplechaser @avinash3000m is extremely hardworking athlete. My best wishes to him for the Olympics #Tokyo2020 #OlympicsKiAasha https://t.co/E2sfP4L9dS

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) June 16, 2021

The Maharashtrian athlete began shattering national records in 2018 when he rewrote Gopal Saini’s 37-year-old record of 8:30.88 by clocking 8:29.80 at the 2018 National Open Championships in Bhubaneswar. It seemed like he entered the world of steeplechase only to pulverize past the previous records.

Sable cut down his own timing to 8:28.94 at the Federation Cup in Patiala, and booked himself a qualification berth for the World Championships in Doha.

Hearty congratulations to Sreeshankar, Annu, Kamalpreet and Avinash on rewriting the national marks in their respective disciplines. Keep leaping further, throwing farther and running faster!#Tokyo2020 @WeAreTeamIndia @SonySportsIndia @PathakRidhima pic.twitter.com/cY0caWQywP

— Athletics Federation of India (@afiindia) March 19, 2021

How Sable qualified for the Tokyo Olympics

Sable first clocked 8:25.23 in the heats and then 8:21.37 in the final. By doing so he not only surpassed his own national record twice but also bagged an Olympic quota for India.

Steeplechaser Avinash Sable was one of the first Indian track and field athletes to make the cut for the Olympics when he clocked 8: 21.37 seconds at the 2019 Doha World Championships.

The army man hailing from India's little Kenya, the Beed district of Maharashtra, broke the national record for the fifth time in his career, clocking 8:20.20s and rewriting his previous best mark in Doha.

An unstoppable run of Sable's record-breaking performances on every big occasion has made him the first Indian man in decades to qualify for the 3000m steeplechase at the upcoming Tokyo Games 2020.