CHENNAI: Avinash Sable rewrote his own national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8:09.91 in the Paris Diamond League on Sunday afternoon. In a relatively fast race, Sable, whose previous national record was 8:11.20, finished in sixth place.
To give a sense of how fast the race was, four of the top five runners either finished with a new personal best or rewrote existing area records. Ethiopia’s Abrham Sime finished first with a time of 8:02.36. While the likes of Soufiane El Bakkali (world and Olympic champion) and Lamecha Girma (world and Olympic silver-medallist) didn’t feature, Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot finished in third with a time of 8:06.70, a season’s best. There is some expectation on Sable to have a competitive showing at the Olympics.
Aldrin, Ankita make Paris cut
Jeswin Aldrin (long-jumper) and Ankita Bhagat (5000m) qualified for the Games via world ranking quota. Both are expected to feature in the Indian contingent as and when they depart for Paris this month. Their names featured in the list released by World Athletics.