Avinash Sable qualifies for 3000m steeplechase final in a time quicker than the world record-holder

Avinash Sable in action in the men's 3000m steeplechase heat at Paris Olympics (AP)

Four decades after PT Usha made it to the final of the women’s 400m hurdles in Los Angeles, Avinash Sable became the first Indian man to make the final of a track event on the biggest stage since Sriram Singh finished seventh in the men’s 800m in Montreal in 1976. Sable finished fifth in the second, and fastest, of the three qualifying heats for the men’s 3000m steeplechase, and his time of 8:15.43 was eight seconds faster than that of Lamecha Girma, the Ethiopian world record holder who won the third heat.

Sable’s qualifying time was five seconds slower than the national record he set during the Paris Diamond League meeting at the Stade Charlety on July 7. He was in second place, just behind Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot, as the athletes came up to the water jump for the penultimate time. Sable cleared it clumsily, nearly lost his footing and was then playing catch-up over the final lap.

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Morocco’s Mohamed Tindouft eventually won the race, with Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu in second and Kibiwot third. But with a huge gap having built up between the first five and the rest, Sable’s stumble didn’t prove to be a costly one. The other two heats, won by Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Girma, were much slower, with Sable eventually the fifth-fastest qualifier.

Having run under 8:10 while setting the national record last month, Sable has nothing to dear in a slow-paced race. Girma’s world record is 7:52.11, but none of the athletes is likely to set such a scorching pace in the final. Global finals tend to be cagey and tactical affairs, and El Bakkali’s winning time in Tokyo at the last Olympics was only a second quicker than Sable’s personal best.

Back in 1976, Sriram led for the better part of 500m before Cuba’s Alberto Juantorena took over and smashed the world record on his way to a 400-800 double. Sable, who already has an Asian Games gold and Commonwealth Games silver to his name, will want to do far more than just set the pace.

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