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Avinash Sable etched his name in history by winning India's first gold medal in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the 2023 Asian Games on Sunday, October 1 in China.
Sable was ahead of his competitors right from the start of the event. As the laps proceeded in the later stage, the lead between Sable and the rest of the pack extended further.
During his final lap in the long-distance event, the Commonwealth Games silver medallist constantly turned his head behind to check for a potential challenge. However, there was not any as Sable celebrated even before he was some 15 meters away from the finishing line.
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Sable clocked 8:19.50 to become the fastest steeplechaser in the Asian Games. The athlete from Maharashtra’s Mandwa village broke the record of Iran’s Hossein Kheyani of 8:22.79, which was set in the previous edition (2018) in Jakarta.
Sable won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham with an impressive timing of 8:11.20, his current national record.
Indian sports fans galore congratulatory messages on X (formerly Twitter) on the Indian athlete’s recent achievement. Some of them even amusingly urged to change the name of the athletic event after Avinash Sable.
Here are some of the best reactions:-
Avinash Sable overcomes the disappointment of the World Athletics Championship
Avinash Sable couldn't make it to the final round of the men's 3000m steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest a couple of months ago. He finished in seventh place with a timing of 8:22.24 in the heat.
Just like the Asian Games, Avinash made a similarly good start and was in second place after the completion of the first lap. However, the 29-year-old slowed down and hence lost the rhythm.
Sable was disappointed with his performance in Hungary but has made a sturdy comeback in China to endorse the 3000m steeplechase in India.
Avinash Sable had qualified for the Diamond League 2023 final in Eugene, USA. But the Maharashtra-born steeplechaser opted to pull out of the annual elite athletics event to shift his focus to the Asian Games.
