India’s Avinash Sable finished eleventh in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the Paris 2024 Olympics held at the Stade de France on Wednesday. The race saw Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali claim victory, making history as the first athlete to successfully defend the men’s 3000m steeplechase title since Finland’s Volmari Iso-Hollo achieved the feat from 1932 to 1936.
Sable started the race with a strong showing, taking an early lead and maintaining it for the first lap and a half. However, the rest of the field quickly closed the gap, with the Ethiopian trio pushing Sable back into the pack. Soon, the Indian runner found himself caught in a difficult position, boxed into the middle and forced to the inside of the inner lap.
As Sable struggled to break free, reigning Olympic champion El Bakkali made a decisive move, surging forward to set himself up for a strong final lap. In the final leg, El Bakkali unleashed a powerful finishing kick to secure the win and etch his name in the history books.
