India's athlete Avinash Sable confirmed his maiden appearance in the Diamond League final as he finished fifth in the men’s 3000m steeplechase race at the Xiamen Diamond League 2023. Sable clocked a timing of 8:16.27 in the Xiamen finals at the Egret Stadium. He will be joining his compatriots Neeraj Chopra and Murali Sreeshankar for the finals that will happen on September 16 and 17 in Eugene, USA.
The 28-year-old Sable finished nearly six seconds behind the reigning Olympic and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali, who won the event with a timing of 8:10.31. Meanwhile, Ethiopia's Samuel Firewu took second with a timing of 8:11.29, while Kenya's Amos Serem came home third in 8:14.41s.
This was the sixth and the last race in the men's steeplechase event in the Diamond League this year. The top ten runners with the highest points make the cut. Sable finished in sixth with 11 points to his name. He will accompany fellow athletes Neeraj Chopra and Murali Sreeshankar, who will be seen in action in the Javelin throw and men’s long jump events, respectively.
Neeraj is the defending champion in the Diamond League finals as he won the trophy in 2022. His performances this year include wins at the Diamond League Meeting in Doha on May 5 and Laussane (June 30) before winning the record-shattering gold at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary recording a throw of 88.17 m.
