CHENNAI: In the crazy world of Indian athletics, Avinash Sable seems an oddity. Homegrown, no month after month exposure trips abroad. Limited influence of a foreign coach (except once); Indian training facilities, conditions and food — Make in India in the truest sense perhaps.
Battle-hardened after spending time in the Army and braving extreme conditions in places like Siachen where the temperature drops below -50 degrees celsius and a village in Rajasthan where it shoots above 50. Sports seeped in while fluctuating between these extremes. Not until 2016, did he know he would be a steeplechase athlete.
Just before leaving for Doha, Sable had another quirky experience, but a simulated one. Sable’s last few days of training were a throwback to his Siachen days as he spent 10 days inside a Hypoxic Chamber conditioned at 3500m (with controlled oxygen and pressure) to increase his endurance capability. Except for training, he spent all his time inside the chamber at the Sports Authority of India regional centre in Bengaluru. Two months ago, he was training in Ooty on a cinder track at 2200-2400m.
“My aim was to qualify for the Olympics,” said Sable from Doha. On Friday, the 25-year-old Armyman did that while breaking his own national record to finish 13th with 8:21.37 at the World Championships. Sable will be only the second Indian man to compete at the Olympics in steeplechase after Gurzar Singh (1952 Olympics). “When I took up the sport I never dreamt of running in a World Championships final and now I have qualified for Olympics,” Sable said.
It was a fairytale. Just three years after his introduction to steeplechase, he was rubbing shoulders with the likes of gold medalist Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya, silver medalist Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia and bronze medalist Soufiane el Bakkali. Then he almost missed out on the final. “I must thank the Athletics Federation of India for appealing those two obstructions during the heats and getting me qualified,” said Sable. Now he has his eyes on a top 10 finish at the Olympics. For a man who has bettered his own national record four times and more than improved 27 seconds since the Inter-State meet in Guwahati last year where he clocked 8.49.25, this is very possible.
Sable’s coach Amrish Singh, who introduced him to steeplechase, felt he can improve. “I have been training him for about three years now and I think he is a natural,” he said. “I picked him up from a cross-country event. Because of his built and endurance, he was suited for this discipline.” Singh felt it was quite a challenge for Sable after he failed to qualify for Asian Games last year due to injury. Then he was training under Nikolai Snaserav in the national camp. However, he came back to his Army coach who put him on the recovery path. Since the Bhubaneswar Open Nationals last year, he has been creating national records with elan.
The coach believes that India has potential and that facilities too have improved “I believe we have talented players and coaches in India who can do well on the world stage. Even facilities have improved,” said Singh. “We have been training in India and have got results.” He did not want to comment on Sable’s next stop – Colorado Springs, cleared by the sports ministry on Friday. “It’s up to the government and federation to decide whether I stay with him or not.”