Asian Champion Avinash Sable didn’t have an evening to remember on Friday, July 11, as the Indian steeplechase runner failed to finish his race at the Monaco Diamond League. Sable was hoping for a top-5 finish at the event but failed to reach the finish line after sustaining an injury following a pretty nasty fall in the early moments of the race.
The 30-year-old, who has already qualified for the Tokyo World Championships, was hoping to make it a fine day for India at the Monaco Diamond League after Animesh Kujur narrowly missed out on a podium place in the men’s 200m U23 event. Sable hasn’t been in peak form this year as he is yet to breach the 8:20.00 barrier in 2025. In his previous two Diamond League appearances, he finished 13th and 8th respectively and remained outside the qualification zone for the 2025 Diamond League final.
The race on Friday was important for Sable as he was aiming to gain some momentum for the World Championships and keep his Diamond League final hopes alive. The race was going to be a tough one as the field contained some of the best, including Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali and Ryuji Miura.
The Indian ace made a good start as he made his way to 12th early on. However, after the 400m mark, Sable started to stumble down the pack as he suffered a bad fall at the second water jump, forcing him out of the race. Fans will be hoping that Sable hasn’t sustained a major issue, especially with the World Championships set to take place in September.
The race was won by El Bakkali as he finished the race in 8:03.18. Miura produced a stunning effort to finish in second and create a new national record, finishing with a time of 8:03.43.
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