Xiamen Diamond League: Avinash Sable finishes fifth, qualifies for DL finals

Avinash Sable finished a creditable fifth in the men's 3000m steeplechase event of the Xiamen leg Diamond League Meeting on Saturday to qualify for the grand finale in Eugene, USA later this month.

After a disappointing campaign in the World Athletics Championships last month in Budapest, Sable clocked 8 minutes 16.27 seconds, well below his season's best of 8:11.63 and national record time of 8:11.20.

Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco won the race with a time of 8:10.31, while Samuel Firewu (8:11.29) of Ethiopia and Amos Serem (8:14.41) of Kenya was second and third respectively.

2022 Commonwealth Games silver medalist, Avinash Sable collected crucial four points from the race to finish with 11 points from events this season. With a sixth place overall, he booked his berth for the Diamond League finals in Eugene, USA scheduled on 16th-17th September.

Sable will join long jumper Murali Sreeshankar and World Champion Neeraj Chopra in the finals who booked their berth in the Zurich Diamond League.

In the three earlier Diamond League Meetings this year, Sable had finished 10th in Rabat (Morocco), fifth in Stockholm, and sixth in Silesia (Poland). He also qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the Silesia Diamond League.

Triple Jumpers disappoint at Diamond League

In the men's triple jump event, national record holder Praveen Chithravel finished fifth with his best effort of 16.42m while Abdulla Aboobacker was sixth with 16.25m.

Both triple jumpers failed to qualify for the Diamond League finals as they ended at ninth and tenth respectively in the standings. The top six in the standings in field events and the top 10 in distance races qualify for the DL finals.