Triple jumper Praveen Chithravel and A Aboobacker fail
Steeplechaser Avinash Sable FILE PHOTO
Avinash timed 8:16.27 in overcast conditions at the Egret Stadium. His timing of 8:11.20 to win silver at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham last year stands as the Indian national record.
The Indian Army man was nearly six seconds quicker than his time set during qualifying for the world championships in Budapest last month, where he failed to make the cut for the final.
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With a total of 11 Diamond League points from four races, Avinash finished sixth in the Diamond League series and made the cut. Soufiane El Bakkali topped the 2023 Diamond League series standings with a total of 32 points.
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Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, the reigning Olympic and world champion, won the Xiamen track and field event with a meet record of 8:10.31 Samuel Firewu of Ethiopia clinched the second spot in 8:11.29 while Amos Serem of Kenya claimed the third place in 8:14.41 Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwot of Kenya came fourth with a timing of 8:15.87.
The race in Xiamen was the sixth and last race men’s 3000m steeplechase event in the Diamond League series this year. The top 10 runners with the most points at the end of six men’s 3000m steeplechase races qualified for the Diamond League Final at Eugene, the USA on September 16 and 17.
While Avinas made it to the final, it was the end of the road for Praveen Chithravel and Abdulla Aboobacker after they finished fifth and sixth, respectively, in the triple jump.
The 22-year-old Praveen Chithravel, who holds the national record of 17.37m in the triple jump, produced his best effort of 16.42m on his third attempt to add four points to his total. He finished ninth in the 2023 Diamond League series with seven points from two events. Only the top six triple jumpers qualified for the Diamond League Final.
Reigning Asian champion Abdulla Aboobacker managed a best jump of 16.25m on his fifth and final attempt to finish sixth and add three points to his total. The 27-year-old finished 10th in the series with a total of six points from two events.
Italy’s Andy Díaz, the reigning Diamond League champion, won the Xiamen meet with a new meet record of 17.43m. Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist and world champion Hugues Fabrice Zango was second with a jump of 17.22m but with 29 points, topped the men’s triple jump series in the Diamond League. USA’s Donald Scott came third in Xiamen with a best effort of 16.65m.
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