Avinash Sable aims for Olympic medal, not just participation

India's top 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable does not want to be just a participant at the Olympics and believes he can a win a medal at the Paris Games beginning later this month.

The 29-year-old Sable, who recently broke his own national record, will be competing in his second Olympics. He had failed to make it to the finals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

"I don't want to just participate, I believe I can win a medal. I am working hard with my eyes set on that goal, if everything falls into place I win a medal," Sable said when asked about the Paris Olympics.

"I used to think Olympic medallists had a unique and difficult approach to training, but my experiences over the past two years have boosted my confidence," he said in a JioCinema release.

Sable had clocked 8 minutes and 9.91 seconds to break his earlier national record while finishing sixth at the Paris Diamond League earlier this month. At the Paris Olympics, he will face at least seven competitors who have run at better time than him this year.

The likes of legendary Indian athletes like Milkha Singh, Sriram Singh and PT Usha have inspired Sable to aim for an Olympic medal.

"Their performances at the world level have deeply inspired me. If my role models can excel globally, so can I. I've been taught to focus on my own progress rather than others. My competition is with my timing," he said.

“My goal has always been self-improvement rather than focusing on the competition. This mindset has allowed me to break the national record ten times," said the reigning Asian Games gold medallist.

He said his silver medal winning performance at the 2022 Commonwealth Games gave him the confidence that he can compete against the best in the world.

"My aim at the Commonwealth Games was to compete against the Kenyan athletes. Finishing second by a fraction of a second gave me the confidence that we can compete against the best in the world," said Sable, who had broken Kenyan medal monopoly in 3000m steeplechase in the CWG.