Avinash Sable, who won the silver medal at the Commonwealth Games, had a time of 8:21.88 to come in fifth place in the 3000m steeplechase race in the Stockholm Diamond League Wednesday night.
The Indian’s run was four seconds slower than his only previous Steeplechase event of the season, which he had competed in in Rabat and placed 10th with an 8:17.18.
Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, the current Olympic, world, and Diamond League champion, won the race in 8:09.84, over 13 seconds slower than his season-best time of 7.56.68 set in the Rabat leg.
Getnet Wale of Ethiopia, the winner of the 2019 Diamond League, came in second with a time of 8:12.27, matching Rabat’s 1-2 result. Abrham Sime, a fellow countryman of Wale, finished third with a time of 8:16.82 for his race.
With a personal best time of 8:17.63, George Beamish of New Zealand finished slightly ahead of Sable. The Indian steeplechaser finished in the top five once again in the Diamond League. With a pace that was at the time a national record, 8.12.48, he had also finished sixth in the Rabat leg of previous year’s race.
The Indian army soldier competed in his second 3000m steeplechase event of the year at the Stockholm competition. Four qualifying points were awarded to him for his fifth-place result. His personal best time in the 3000m steeplechase, 8:11.20, holds the national record.
The Stockholm tournament was the league’s sixth outing this year. The two-day final will conclude the 2023 season on September 16 and 17 in Eugene, Oregon, in the United States.
In the elite Diamond League, which has 14 events from May to September, male and female competitors compete in 16 different sports.
The top three finishers in these competitions, however, do not get any medals. The top eight athletes are instead given points and cash awards based on where they place. Athletes get 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, or 1 points for placing one through eight in each discipline at each competition.
After 13 meetings, the top six finishers in the field events, the top eight finishers in the 100-800-meter events, and the top ten finishers in the 1500-meter and long-distance races will advance to the final, which is a winner-takes-all event.
