India’s Avinash Sable, the national record holder in 3000m steeplechase, made his mark in the 5000m too, breaking the 30-year-old national record during a meet in the United States.
Olympian Avinash Sable clocked 13 minutes 25.65 seconds at the Sound Running Track Meet in San Jun Capistrano, the USA on Friday evening to break the long-standing Indian record of 13:29.70 set by Bahadur Prasad in 1992, according to information reaching here on Saturday.
Interestingly, Sable, who specialises in 3000 metres steeplechase and has broken the national record eight times, the latest timing of 8:16:21 sec set at the Indian Grand Prix 2 in March 2022, has recently started participating in 5000m races, adding it as a new event in his repertoire.
Norway’s Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the 1500m champion at Tokyo Olympics, won the gold in 13:02.03. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei holds the men’s 5000m world record, courtesy of a 12:35.36 finish in Monaco in 2020.
The Sound Running Track Meet, a World Athletics Continental Tour bronze level event, was only his second competition race in 5000m for the 27-year-old Sable from Mandwa village in the Beed district of Maharashtra.
Sable had represented India in the Tokyo 2022 Olympics, setting a national record of 8:18.12, which he improved in March this year. Sable is a silver medallist in 3000m steeplechase in Asian Championships, finishing second in 2019 at Doha.
(Inputs from IANS)