The Olympics 2024 is upon us, and the fans and experts are busy predicting, as to which athletes are the best medal prospects for Team India. Of course, Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, Satwik/Chirag, and Nikhat Zareen make the list easily, but all eyes will be on the underdog, 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable.
Sable brought down the National Record in the event to 8:09.94s, and has a realistic chance of bagging a medal for the country. But all those discussions are for later. Insidesport brings a series, where we track down the tough journeys of these ace athletes. And Avinash Sable is first on the list for sure.
Avinash Sable Early Life
Sable was born on 13 September, 1994, to a family of farmers in Maharashtra’s Beed district. It goes without saying, that the life was tough, and it was difficult to make ends meet. He had no interest in sports, but would run six miles everyday to school, due to dearth of public transport in his village.
After 12th, to support his family, he joined the Indian Army, and then was posted to Siachen, Rajasthan and Sikkim. His inception to professional running happened when he first participated in a cross-country race in 2015. And since then there has been no looking back. In no time, he was inducted into the national camp, where he trained under Nikolai Snesarev.
Sable’s Career & Looking Ahead at Paris Olympics 2024
The turning point in his career came when he failed to qualify for the Asian Games 2018, due to an ankle injury. But that made him only more determined as he broke the 37-year-old national record held by Gopal Saini at the National Championships in Bhubaneswar. And since then he has bettered his record seven times now.
Not just that. He became the first India to win a silver medal in the event, at the Commonwealth Games 2022, and gold medal at the Asian Games 2023. He certainly looks good for more now.
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