Avinash Sable upset after failing to qualify for 3000m steeplechase final at World Athletics C’ships

Avinash Sable crashed out of the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest, Hungary, on Saturday, as he failed to qualify for the men’s 3000m steeplechase final.

Sable made a dismal seventh-place finish out of 12 athletes competing in Heat 1. Sable, who had a personal best timing of 8:11.20s and a season-best of 8:11.63s, seemed to have run out of gas in the last 200m of a slow-paced race after the last bend. He clocked 8:22:24s, nearly 11 seconds slower than his season-best effort.

Only the top five in the three Heats are eligible to qualify for the final - the medal round.

At the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, USA, Sable had made the men’s 3000m steeplechase final after he finished third in his heat, clocking 8:18.75.

Sable devastated

Following his below par show Sable, Asian Athletics Championships and CWG silver medallist, did not hide his disappointment.

"I am very disappointed because I worked hard and sacrificed a lot to prepare for the main event. As I could not make it to the final, it feels very bad. It also broke my heart because I had full faith on my abilities. I had a good preparation. There were no lapses in planning and training," said the 28-year-old after the race. 

Sable, who prepared for the Worlds in the USA in March, also admitted a mistake that he committed at the last leg of the race. "I could not reach at a decision whether I should accelerate my speed or not. I thought I am fit, I will save my full energy for the final. If I had been a little quick, I would have made a top-five finish. But if I cannot do well even after such a good preparation, it breaks my heart," chokes Sable.

Sable will be next competing at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.