Paris: In a scintillating display of speed and endurance, Indian runner Avinash Sable shattered his own national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase at the Paris Diamond League 2024.
With the Olympic Games in Paris just weeks away, Sable clocked an impressive 8:09.91, slicing over a second off his previous record.
Competing in a star-studded field, he finished sixth at the Charlety Stadium on Sunday, showcasing his prowess ahead of his second Olympic appearance.
Sable's previous best was 8:11.20, achieved when he claimed silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham two years ago. At the Diamond League, Ethiopia’s Abrham Sime emerged victorious with a personal best of 8:02.36, narrowly edging out Kenya’s Commonwealth Games bronze medallist Amos Serem in a photo finish.
Kenya's World Championships bronze medallist Abraham Kibiwot secured third place with a time of 8:06.70, followed by Tunisian record-holder Mohamed Amin Jhinaoui and New Zealand’s 1500m indoor world champion Geordie Beamish.
The race saw 17 runners vie for supremacy, marking Sable’s third 3000m steeplechase of the year. His season began with a second-place finish at the Portland Track Festival in Orlando, clocking 8:21.85. He also dominated India’s inter-state competition in Panchkula, finishing first in 8:31.75. As he gears up for the Paris Olympics, Sable’s consistent performance signals his readiness to compete on the world stage.
In the men’s javelin throw, India’s Kishore Jena, also headed for the Olympics, finished eighth with a best throw of 78.10m. Despite a strong start, Jena struggled to register valid throws in subsequent attempts, ultimately logging distances of 78.05m, 76.57m, and missing out on further throws. This was Jena’s second Diamond League event of the year, having previously recorded a 76.31m throw in Doha.
Germany’s Julian Weber triumphed in the javelin with a throw of 85.91m, followed by two-time world champion Anderson Peters of Grenada with 85.19m and Czechia’s Tokyo 2020 silver medallist Jakub Vadlejch with 85.04m. Pakistan’s Arshad Nadeem, the reigning Commonwealth Games champion, finished fourth with a throw of 84.21m in his first competition of the year.
Earlier this year, Jena finished fifth at the Federation Cup in India with 75.49m and landed a season-best of 80.84m at the Inter-state championships in Panchkula. Meanwhile, reigning Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra opted out of the Paris Diamond League.
The Paris meet was the eighth leg of the 2024 Diamond League series, a premier annual track and field competition organized by World Athletics. Athletes accumulate points throughout the series, with the top performers qualifying for the finals in Brussels, Belgium, in September. Victors at the finals earn the coveted Diamond League trophy, marking the pinnacle of their season’s efforts.