Those who know Avinash Sable say he is a hard individual. In the Indian Army, he has served on icy mountains, dense forests and blistering deserts, never complaining. When he moved to athletics, he remained as stoic as ever. Coaches remark how he is unafraid to push himself to the limit, even when lactic acid is flooding his muscles, when every step is pain.
On Saturday, you could see that stoic facade crack on day one of the World Athletics Championships in Budapest. The 28-year-old was dragging himself back over the bridge that links the National Stadium to the warm-up area after failing to qualify for the 3000m steeplechase final.
Sable had come into the World Championships in the best shape of his life. Having finished a surprise 11th at last year’s World Championships, he had focused on success this time.
He had the experience of competing and winning in big races, bagging a silver at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Still early in the season, without even pushing himself, he ran close to his personal best. In Colorado, training with a world-class group, he matched running partners stride for stride.
In Budapest, Sable stumbled. A desperate sprint in the final straight was not enough. He finished in 7th place with a time of eight minutes 22.24 seconds, just about a second and-a-half away from the top five that would have qualified him for the final. As he slunk out of the stadium, he looked every inch the beaten man.
“Podium ke liye itna prepare karte hain. Sab chhod dete hain (We prepare so much for the podium. We leave everything behind) just to do well in the main competition. And when we can’t, we feel very bad. Nirasha hoti hai (You feel dejected),” he mumbled.
No joy for racewalkers
Sable’s disappointing result was emblematic of Indian struggles on the opening session of the first day of the championships. India’s athletes fell short of their season’s best in the 20km race walk.
Vikash Singh, who had a season’s best of 1:20.05, finished 27th with a time of 1:21.58. Paramjeet Singh, who came in with a best of 1:20.08, clocked 1:24.02 to take 35th place, while Akashdeep Singh was more than 10 minutes off his best (1.19.55) and finished with a time of 1:31.12.
Shaili below her best
Long jumper Shaili Singh also fell short of her best. The 19-year-old came into the long jump competition with a season’s best of 6.76m, but managed a best of 6.40m on Saturday and finished in 24th place. The result was disappointing since the final qualifying spot went at 6.61m, a distance Shaili had cleared twice this season.
