New Delhi: The Asian championship gave steeplechaser Avinash Sable's training for the Tokyo World Championships in September a boost.

Two-time Olympian Sable has been silently training this season with an eye towards the World Championships in Tokyo in September. Sable is determined to atone for his bad performance in the previous iteration in Budapest, where he was unable to advance to the finals.

In contrast to his previous few years in the high-altitude Colorado Springs, in the United States, Sable has been working out in Ooty this season. With the help of coach Kalyan Chaudhari, the veteran campaigner is developing his own training regimen.

In his three competitions to date, Sable, 30, began his season at the Xiamen Diamond League in Doha, where he placed eighth with a time of 8:22.59. He then placed eighth in his subsequent Diamond League race in Shaoxing with a time of 8:23.85. Sable dominated the race at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, winning his first title at the continental meeting by finishing well ahead of the competition (8:20.92). He took second place in the 2019 Doha edition.

This season, I had a niggle (hamstring). For this reason, I was unable to do my best. I've been getting ready in Ooty, and I haven't been able to practice hurdles because of the injury. In the first two contests, I was unable to give it my all, according to Sable.

“The Rabat Diamond League and the Asian Championships were close together, and I had to choose between them. My confidence was boosted by this conclusion in Gumi. I wanted to assess my progress and see if my plans were on schedule.

This will be Sable's fourth time competing at the World Championships. The national record holder is focused on enhancing his performance. He has consistently broken the national record for the 3000m steeplechase, making him a standout performer for India. In a strong field, he took home an incredible silver at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and then went on to win gold at the 2023 Asian Games. Sable broke his national record of 8:09.91 in the Paris Diamond League in the run-up to the Paris Olympics. He ran 8:15.43 in the heats a month later to qualify for the Olympic final, where he placed eleventh with a time of 8:14.18.

"I was pleased with the way I planned and carried out my strategy at the Asian Championships. It provided me a solid sense of my current position and how far I could increase my speed. The World Championships are still a few months away, and I'm going to get better.

Sable followed his race plan successfully in Gumi. After holding the lead until almost halfway through, he momentarily fell to second place behind Japan's Yutaro Niinae. Sable shifted gears and moved in front of the pack on the final lap. Niinae (8:24.41) and Qatar's Zakaria Elahlaami (8:27.12) came in much later.

Nevertheless, the season has already had some high times, therefore Sable must step up in order to make an impact at the worlds.

With a time of 8:05.61, Ethiopia's Samuel Firewu took home the Xiamen Diamond League title, while Morocco's Soufiane El Bakkali, a two-time Olympic and world champion, came in second with a time of 8:06.66. The second leg, which took place in Shaoxing, was won by Abrham Sime, who finished ahead of Edmund Serem (8:08.68) and Simon Kiprop (8:09.05) with a time of 8:07.92.

El Bakkali demonstrated his skill on his home ground in Rabat, where he achieved a world-record time of 8:00.70. The Moroccan is widely considered to be one of the greatest competitors in history. His tactical genius, explosive pace, and capacity to perform at his best during big events have made him a dangerous opponent.

To compete and aim for a spot in the final, Sable will need to improve his performance significantly among such formidable competitors. Given his performance at the Paris Olympics, Sable has already earned a spot in the World Championships, and he will be looking to end well in Tokyo.

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