World Athletics Championships Day 4: Avinash Sable finishes 11th in Men’s 3000 m Steeplechase final

New Delhi: Day 4 at World Athletics Championships in Oregon saw Avinash Sable fighting in Men’s 3000 m Steeplechase, only to finish 11th. In the last championships, he stood 13th in the finals. Though Sable missed the medal, it is still a proud moment for India as he has played two back-to-back finals and is constantly improving.

Men’s 3000 m Steeplechase

Avinash Sable started slow and was at the 14th position out of the 15 athletes for most period of the time. The final was a slow race overall as Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won the gold by clocking 8:25.13. El Bakkali is the reigning Olympic champion in the steeplechase.

Sable clocked 8:31.75 to finish 11th. In the 2019 World Athletics Championship in Doha, the athlete clocked 8:21.37 to finish at the 13th position. He currently holds the national record with a timing of 8.12:48, which he clocked in the Diamond League in Rabat. Though Sable has missed a medal at the championships, there is a great chance for him to earn a medal at the upcoming Commonwealth Games.

As El Bakkali won the hold, the silver medal was won by Tokyo Olympic’s silver medallist Lamecha Girma, who clocked 8:26.01. The bronze medal was won by the gold medallist of the 2019 World Championships, Conseslus Kipruto, who clocked 8:27.92.

S Dhanalakshmi misses due to Visa issue

Sekar Dhanalakshmi, who has defeated both Hima Das and Dutee Chand in sprinting, missed the World Championships even after qualifying. She was supposed to play in the heats of the women’s 200 m category on day 4. The visa issue emerged when she was in Kazakhstan running in the women’s 200 m category.

“Since I went to Kazakhstan, my US visa appointment got cancelled. And for the Commonwealth Games, they had put my UK visa appointment for July 1. I had to attend that and my passport got held up there,” said Dhanalakshmi. She will be next seen in the Commonwealth Games, running in the women’s 100 m and 4×100 m relay.

Niger’s Aminatou Seyni had the best time entering the semi-finals, as she clocked 21.98 seconds.