India’s ace steeplechaser Avinash Sable became the first track and field athlete to qualify for the Paris Olympics 2024 after his second career-best timing at the Silesia Diamond League 2023 athletics meet in Poland’s Chorzow on Sunday, July 16. Sable clocked the season’s best at 8:11:63, which was seconds short of his personal best of 8:11:20. Sable easily breached the Olympics qualifying mark of 8:15.00 for the men’s 3000m steeplechase event.
Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot who won the Commonwealth Games 2022 gold last year finished second with 8:08.03 while the reigning Olympic, world and Diamond League champion, Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali won the race with a meet record timing of 8:03:16.
The Olympics qualification period began on July 1, 2023, and will continue till June 30, 2024.
Sable earned three qualification ranking points at Silesia in the run-up to the Diamond League Final 2023 and is now ninth in the standings with seven points. This was Sable’s third outing in Diamond League 2023 and his best finish. He finished 10th at the Rabat leg clocking 8:17.18 and fifth at the Stockholm leg with a 8:21.88 finish.
In the run-up to the final of the Diamond League, the athletes are awarded points instead of medals. The top eight athletes in each event at the end of all legs will qualify for the final, where they will be competing for the trophy.
Silesia was the eighth leg of the Diamond League and after this, only Monaco and Shenzhen legs will feature the men’s 3000m steeplechase event. The final of the Diamond League will take place on September 16-17 in Eugene, USA.
Sable will be next seen at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary set to take place from August 19-24.
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