Sable first Indian man in 3000m Steeplechase final

Avinash Sable created history by becoming the first Indian man to qualify for the men's 3000m steeplechase final at the Paris Olympics on Monday.

He finished fifth in Heat 2 with a timing of 8:15.43 seconds to qualify among the top 15 in the event. 

In steeplechase, there are three heats and the top five from each makes it to the final.

Sable's heat was won by Morocco's Mohamed Tindouft, with personal best timing of 8:10.62 seconds.

Sable's timing was well below his best effort of 8:09.91s, which he clocked at the Paris Diamond League last month.

Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya (8:12.02s) was third, while Ryuji Miura of Japan was fourth in 8:12.41.

If one takes into account the timings of all the 15 finalists, Sable is fifth as the second heat qualifiers had the best timing.

Sable, easily the most decorated track and field athlete after Neeraj Chopra in the current contingent,  led in the first two laps but after that slowed down a bit, running a more technical race with an eye on qualification for the final round.

Even when he slowed down, he never was out of the leading pack, which eventually remained the same.   

• THE OLYMPICS, 2024