Brussels: National record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, Avinash Sable, is set to compete in his first Diamond League Final in Brussels, joining renowned javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra in this season-closing event.
He is among the 12 contenders listed for the winner-takes-all race on Friday. Sable, who finished 14th in the Diamond League overall standings with three points from two events, will participate despite four higher-ranked athletes—Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia (injured), Geordie Beamish of New Zealand, Ryuji Mura of Japan, and Hillary Bor of the USA—not competing in the final.
The season’s grand finale, spanning September 13 and 14, features the men’s 3000m steeplechase on the first day and the men’s javelin throw on the following day. Out of the 14 Diamond League series meetings worldwide this season, five included the men’s 3000m steeplechase.
The 29-year-old Sable set a national record of 8:09.91, improving his previous best, at the Paris Diamond League on July 7, where he finished sixth. He also competed in the Silesia leg on August 25, finishing 14th with a time of 8:29.96.
After making history as the first Indian to reach the Olympic final in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Sable had an underwhelming 11th-place finish at the Paris Games on August 7, clocking in at 8:14.18.
Double Olympic medalist Chopra secured his spot in the DL final by placing fourth in the overall standings, earning 14 points from two second-place finishes at the single-day events in Doha and Lausanne.
The Diamond League season finale champions each receive the coveted ‘Diamond Trophy’, a USD 30,000 cash prize, and a wild card entry to the World Athletics Championships. The second-place finisher receives USD 12,000, and the prizes continue down to the eighth-place finisher, who earns USD 1,000.
