Bharat’s Avinash Sable secured 11th place in the men’s 3000 m steeplechase final at the Paris 2024 Olympics at the iconic Stade de France. Sable completed the race with a time of 8:14.18, after an initial strong performance that saw him in fourth place at the 1000 m mark before gradually losing ground and finishing outside the top 10.
The gold medal in the event was claimed by Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali, who successfully defended his Olympic title with a season-best time of 8:06.05. Kenneth Brooks of the United States took home the silver, clocking a personal best of 8:06.41, while Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot secured the bronze.
In the earlier round, Avinash Sable had advanced to the final after finishing fifth in Heat 2. He started strong in the heat, quickly establishing his pace and leading the race in the first 1000 m.
However, a stumble at one of the hurdles caused him to lose momentum as the race intensified towards the end. Sable ultimately finished with a time of 8:15.43, behind Morocco’s Mohamed Tindouft (8:10.62), Ethiopia’s Samuel Firewu (8:11.61), Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwot (8:12.02), and Japan’s Ryuji Miura (8:12.41).
Heat 1 was dominated by Morocco’s Soufiyane El Bakkali, who secured first place with a time of 8:17.90, earning a spot in the final. Other qualifiers from this heat included Uganda’s Leonard Chemutai (8:18.19), Ethiopia’s Getnet Wale (8:18.25), Spain’s Daniel Arce (8:18.31), and Tunisia’s Ahmed Jaziri (8:18.33).
Kenya’s Amos Serem, who had won the national trials, faced disappointment in Heat 1 after a mishap at the water jump. He had to circle back and attempt the jump again, which cost him valuable time and resulted in him missing out on a place in the final.
