Avinash Sable Competes in Diamond League Final, Finishes Ninth

National record holder in 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable, finished ninth in his debut Diamond League final. Celebrating his 30th birthday, Sable clocked 8:17.09. Amos Serem from Kenya won the race. Sable had finished 11th in the Paris Olympics. Neeraj Chopra will compete on Saturday.

National record holder 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable finished ninth in the season-ending Diamond League final with a time of 8:17.09 here on Friday.

Celebrating his 30th birthday, Sable faced fierce competition in his debut DL final, featuring a 10-man field. Amos Serem of Kenya clinched the title with a time of 8:06.90, while Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco secured second place with 8:08.60. Tunisia's Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui finished third with 8:09.68.

Although Sable had finished 11th in the Paris Olympics with a time of 8:14.18 and was ranked 14th overall in the DL standings, he managed to qualify for the final due to withdrawals from higher-ranked athletes. Reigning Asian Games champion Sable had earlier set a national record of 8:09.91 in the Paris leg of the DL series.

Attention now turns to world champion javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra, who will be in action on Saturday.

(With inputs from agencies.)