India’s ace steeplechase runner Avinash Sable fell short in the Diamond League Finals held in Brussels on Saturday. The sprinter, on the eve of his 30th birthday, finished 9th with a timing of 8:17.09 minutes in the finals. Amos Serem from Kenya won the finals, finishing on top with a timing of 8:06.90 minutes.
Morocco’s Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali secured second place with a time of 8:08.60, while Tunisia’s Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui claimed third with 8:09.68.
Not a great season for Sable
It has not been a great season for Avinash Sable. After winning the gold medal at the Asian Games in 2023, his trajectory has been on a decline. He competed in the Portland Track Festival in the USA, where he finished second. However, in July 2024, he finished sixth at the Paris Diamond League. Even at the Paris Olympics, he placed 11th with the timing of 8:14.18. Sable had a chance to make a comeback in the last Diamond League event before the finals, but he finished 14th in Silesia.
Sable fails to clutch
Avinash Sable didn’t have a good start to the race. From the beginning, he was trailing, and after the first 1000m, he was in 12th position. All three Kenyan athletes—Chemiat, Amos, and Abraham Kibiwot—were leading the race. After the 2000m mark, Morocco’s Abderrafia sustained an injury and withdrew, followed by Chemiat, who also couldn’t finish. By this point, Avinash climbed to 9th position but still lagged behind.
In the final 1000m, Avinash attempted to gain some pace but remained steady in 9th place, as he was far behind at the start of the last lap.
Soufiane El Bakkali’s commendable performance
At the front, Moroccan steeplechaser Soufiane El Bakkali made a strong move. Initially positioned in eighth place at the 1000m split with a time of 2:09.7, El Bakkali steadily worked his way up the field. By the 2000m point, he had moved into third place with a time of 5:29.4. His closing laps were marked by impressive speed, with splits as fast as 15.0 seconds, but he couldn’t close the gap on Serem and finished in second place.
Trophy for the winner
At each Diamond League season finale, the champion receives a ‘Diamond Trophy,’ USD 30,000 in prize money, and a wildcard entry for the World Athletics Championships.
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