"When we don’t perform well in the main competition, then it does feel bad" - Avinash Sable on World Athletics Championships heartbreak

Indian athlete Avinash Sable failed to qualify for the final round of the men’s 3000m steeplechase on the opening day of the World Athletics Championships. The event took place at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, August 19.

Sable, who holds the national record of 8:11.20, clocked 8 minutes and 22.24 seconds in the first heat, finishing in seventh place. The top five finishers in the three heats will make it to the final round.

While speaking to Sportstar after his event, Avinash Sable expressed disappointment in missing out on the final round. The 28-year-old said:

“We prepare well for the competition by sacrificing everything to do well. When we don’t perform well in the main competition, then it does feel bad. Let’s see next in the Asian Games. The preparations have been on the mark, there is no shortage of it. Disappointment is natural since we prepare for this day and night to give our best.”

"I made a mistake thinking I am fit" - Avinash Sable

Avinash Sable made a strong start in the heat race and before the end of the first lap, the Indian steeplechaser was at second place, behind Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale.

He was leading at the two-kilometre mark. However, the Indian athlete squandered the lead minutes later even though he managed to stay in the top five for the major part of the heats.

During the last lap, Sable’s opponents sprinted in a bid to finish in the top five. An apparent burnout slowed Sable and he couldn’t push himself in the final minutes of the race with Spain’s Daniel Arce (8:20.46) and Japan’s Ryoma Aoki (8:20.54) finishing fourth and fifth, respectively.

Admitting his mistake that he wanted to save his best energy for the final, Sable said:

“I couldn’t make a decision at that point whether I should go ahead or go with the flow (on having the lead at the very start). I made a mistake thinking I am fit and I should save my full energy for the final. Perhaps I would have run in the final moments. I don’t think it was that hard to finish in the final looking at the competitors.”

Sable trained in the USA for more than a year, particularly for the World Championships, and was also exempted from participating in domestic events. He also missed the Asian Athletics Championship in Thailand last month in order to remain fresh for the global event.

“I am not satisfied with myself. I have been preparing in the USA since last March for this thing (event). I was very confident of doing well this time, given the way I had my work out in the last one-and-a-half month period. Despite giving everything when you don’t get success, then definitely it feels bad,” Sable added.

Avinash Sable’s personal best record is 8:11.20, which helped him clinch a silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in the 3000m steeplechase.