Xiamen Diamond League: Avinash Sable finishes 13th in men’s 3000m Steeplechase

Xiamen Diamond League: Avinash Sable finishes 13th in men’s 3000m Steeplechase

Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu, only five days away from his 21st birthday, stunned the legendary Soufianne El Bakkali with a first-ever victory over the Moroccan in the men’s 3000m Steeplechase at the Xiamen Diamond League on Saturday. Simon Kiprop Koech (8:07.12) of Kenya was third.

Firewu, who surpassed El Bakkali in the back straight after the final 400m bell, registered a meet record to boot with a World Leading timing of 8:05.61, thereby attesting to talks about him being the future of men’s Steeplechase.

Avinash Sable, the sole Indian representation in the discipline, finished 13th with a timing of 8:22.59, far cry from his personal best and National Record of 8:09.91. The 30-year-old was competing for the first time since the Diamond League Final in September last year, where he finished ninth with a time of 8 minutes and 17.09 seconds.

Sable gained three positions from being last inside the first 1200m, but with around 1000m to go, Sable was 13th in standings and maintained the position till the very end. The Indian will compete in the next DL Meeting in Shanghai/Keqiao on May 3. He has already qualified for the World Championships in September in Tokyo on the basis of his Paris Olympics timing.

Earlier, Morocco’s Abderrafia Bouassel, who was leading in the first minute, ended up getting a DNF. Firewu’s compatriot Hailemariyam Amare led at the 200m mark, registering a timing of 5:26.29. Atotal of 16 runners completed the race.

(With inputs from PTI)

Published on Apr 26, 2025