Late Drama as India Women Win But Men Lose to Spain

India's steeplechaser is on the lookout for a new coach after a disappointing 11th place finish at Paris

- Shantanu Srivastava

NEW DELHI: Avinash Sable has no qualms in accepting that 2024 was his worst year since his rise to prominence. The 30-year-old turned up in his pet event—3,000m steeplechase—in six competitions last year and barring the Paris Diamond League in July, where he rewrote his national record for the 11th time (8:09.91), there was nothing to gloat about.

At the Olympics, Sable became the first Indian male steeplechaser to make the final, but an 11th-place finish with a time of 8:14.18 didn't do justice to the promise he had shown in the couple of years leading up to Paris. "It was one of my worst years on the circuit. I performed way below my expectations. We train for four years for the Olympics but when the moment came, I just could not deliver," Sable said.

Paris was not the first time Sable had combusted at the big stage. After failing to make the final at Tokyo Olympics, he had a forgettable World Championships final (8:31.75) in 2022 where he finished 11th.

He redeemed himself admirably at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in less than three weeks to finish second (8:11.20), a feat that ended Kenya's 28-year undisputed reign over the discipline.

Next year, he became the first Indian man to win the steeplechase at the Hangzhou Asian Games and looked primed for a strong show at the Olympics. That's when things started going downhill.

Sable developed persistent breathing trouble caused by nasal septum deviation, and to make matters worse, his right calf gave way in the off-season. "The two issues, I believe, combined to slow me down. My calf would hurt after just 2-3 laps and by the time the race ended, the pain would consume my hamstring. I was also struggling with my breathing which meant I was always huffing and puffing," he said.

Recovery after Games