Paris Olympics: Avinash Sable fades to finish 11th, El Bakkali makes steeplechase history

In a dramatic 3000m steeplechase that saw Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, the world record holder, stretchered off after crashing into a hurdle on the final lap, Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco became only the second man to retain the gold medal, seeing off the threat of the USA’s Kenneth Rooks and Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot to win in a time of 8:06.05. India’s Avinash Sable, who had qualified fifth-fastest for the final, finished 11th in 8:14.18. That time was more than four seconds slower than the national record he set at the Paris Diamond League meeting in June.

Sable started off superbly, setting the pace for much of the first two laps. Perhaps having observed his performance in qualifying, the Ethiopian trio of Girma, Samuel Firewu and Getnet Wale decided to rein him in. By the 1000m mark, the three Ethiopians were setting the pace, and Sable had slipped to fourth.

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Thereafter, with a high-quality field jostling for places, Sable was never really in the hunt. Often, he was boxed in on the inside, and by the 2000m mark, he had slipped down to 11th place. By then, the race had become a battle for African supremacy, with the Tunisians, Moroccans and Kenyans also joining the leading group.