Avinash Sable likes to make his leg speed and lung power do the talking. The steeplechaser, a silent achiever, is forever looking for opportunities to cut down time over 3000m, with the first hurdle over the water jump to be negotiated every lap, the second hurdle before each lap is over.
The Diamond League series in 2022 is the latest chance to pace himself against faster runners. The Rabat leg staged in Morocco recently, saw the fauji push himself to a national best (eight minutes, 12.48 seconds). He took up athletics after joining the army and moves on the track like a natural, gritty and graceful.
The timing fetched him only a fifth-place among the Diamond series finishers, for Sable the race was against the clock. The Rabat run is another personal best (bettering 8:16.21 in March 2022 at the Indian Grand Prix). Leaping over hurdles in life, personal improvement over 3000m and 5000m have been signposts in his progress during crucial years when the World Athletics, and Olympics Games are held. Oregon (USA) will host World Athletics 2022 next month. The steeplechaser will be aiming for a personal high, regardless of rivals’ reputations or race conditions.
Four years earlier at Doha World Athletics 2019, the Indian army runner clocked 8:25.23 in the heats on debut, bettering the time to 8:21.37 in finals, jostling for places in elite company. Last year at the Tokyo Olympic Games 2021, feeding on faster competition, he ran 8:18.12 in the heat. Running against the clock is a mission for the self-motivated athlete, never losing sight of the reality that he will always be trying to catch up with distance runners from Kenya, Morocco, and Gulf nations. These long-legged wonders dominate, an Indian sloshing through the water jump, striding along the straight is no longer a novelty.
Two-time Olympian in middle and long-distance, Asian Championships medallist, Bahadur Prasad, expressed appreciation of that individual effort. Prasad, whose long-standing national 5000 mark was bettered by Sable recently, said: “Bringing down his personal best from 8:25 to 8:12 (3000m steeplechase) on his own proves he deserves support. For any Indian reaching a certain level, competition does not exist back home. Like many of us whose personal bests happened outside India, Sable training and participating in meets there is the right thing.”
The steeplechaser, from Maharashtra’s Beed district and with the Mahar regiment, is based at Colorado Springs (USA) under Scott Simmons, the foreign coach contracted by India for distance runners. Sable is receiving financial and related support due to beneficiaries of the Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS), under the Sports Ministry initiative for potential Olympic medallists. JSW also is among the support group. Amrish Kumar, his long-time army coach, endorsed the move to extend his trainee’s stay in the US till the World Championships in July.
The coach said: “He should be running with those athletes against whom he will be competing, it will be a confidence booster.” Prasad added: “It makes sense to remain in India if there are at least four runners to push him. Training outside is costly, there is support from the government, and the federation (Athletics Federation of India) is trying its best. My personal best 5000 timing happened abroad (Birmingham). Maintaining that level on return was tough without expert guidance. Sable has done the right thing by moving abroad, I hope he remains free from injury till the Worlds.”
The former 1500m and 5000m ace, currently with Banaras Locomotive Works, Varanasi, observed that Indians in distance running face a tougher time improving timing than a Kenyan due to weak competition. “Kenyans running during my time had such fierce competition at home, at least 10 Kenyans including some lesser-known names would have clocked the timing I managed.” Sable has not finished among the medallists so far, either at the Worlds or Olympics, but is setting personal bests every time he competes in an elite field.
It is the best we can expect from any sportsperson till he acquires experience through constant exposure to match the world’s best, as the steeplechaser will do in Oregon 2022. He challenged Rio 2016 Olympic champion, Conseslus Kipruto, for fourth place at the Rabat in a burst to the tape (8:12.48 against 8:12.47 by the Kenyan). Champions in the seven-lapper manage timings in the eight-minute range. Kipruto’s World Athletics 2019 win time was 8:01.35 at Doha, Morocco’s Soufian El Bakkali bagged the Tokyo Olympic title in 8:08.90. The Indian refuses to be left behind.
As the hardy 27-year-old is getting closer to the lead pack, excitement about his progress is buzzing among the Indian athletics community. “He could have got India an Olympic medal in Tokyo,” pointed out Amrish, founder of the Captain Amrish & Sports Academy in UP, after his army career. “Six months before Tokyo, he ran between 2:08 to 2:12 in training. Twice he got Covid afterwards, we lost many training days. Eight minutes, 18 seconds in the heats is creditable, looking at post-Covid recovery to be fit to compete.” The bronze medal reference was about third-placed Benjamin Kigen from Kenya, timed 8:11.50 and gained a podium place in Tokyo.
Incidentally, Sable’s fifth position at the Rabat Diamond League 2022 was three places ahead of Kigen (eighth in Morocco). Talking about the Indian’s temperament in the face of competition in bigger meets against quality rivals, the coach explains: “We made an effort to convince Avinash Sable that he is no different from other world-class runners. It was pointed out to him that the Kenyan runners grew up in places with water scarcity and very hot climates. Beed district in Maharashtra is similar, he faced conditions as tough as any Kenyan growing up. Removing the awe of foreign runners was the objective. It is working.”
Convincing the army recruit to try the steeplechase was a bigger step, along with motivation to aim for being rated the best in Asia. “Athletes try to run different distances. It was explained to him how from Paan Singh Tomar (Tokyo Asian Games 1958 & national record-holder) to Deena Ram (Beijing Asian Games 1990 second place & Tokyo World Athletics 1991), Indian steeplechasers won medals at the Asian levels. We convinced him that with focussed effort and systematic preparation, medals at the Asian level are within reach.”
Athletic excellence can be a ticket toward a decent lifestyle, beyond the army. Spear thrower Neeraj Chopra, also from the army, moved up in life after the Tokyo gold. Sable’s series of personal bests, each one a national record in the men’s steeplechase, shows the hunger within. Entry to take part in the Diamond League, by invitation only, is recognition. It is just a matter of time before the chaser catches up with the pack.
Read all the Latest News , Breaking News , watch Top Videos and Live TV here.
Comments
0 comment