It is okay to lose a battle if you win the war. This is the philosophy that Avinash Sable seems to have embraced ahead of Paris 2024. Only, the Indian Army athlete chose to skip some battles altogether.
The Commonwealth Games silver medallist, who often starts the season early, has competed in just three 3,000m steeplechase events this year. At the Portland Track Festival in the US, he clocked 8:21.85 before managing 8:31.75 at the National Inter-State Championships in Panchkula, Haryana. Then, at the Paris Diamond League, Sable clocked 8:09.91 to smash the Indian 3,000m steeplechase record for an outlandish tenth time. The new personal best, his first sub-8:10s-finish, saw him crossing the line sixth, in a race that saw five of the top six set new personal bests.
His timing in Panchkula at the end of June and in Paris at the start of July seem like chalk and cheese. A staggering 20-second plus difference. One reason could be that the competition was lower in India―the athlete who finished second was 15 seconds behind him. But, there is more to it than that. His thin schedule this year shows that he wanted to peak at the Diamond League, just ahead of the Olympics. And peak, he did. Plus, with the experience of having competed against the likely-finalists at Paris 2024, he learnt what he was up against and had time for analysis and modifications.
Sable’s new strategy seemingly evolved from earlier disappointments. The Asian Games gold medallist was in good shape ahead of the 2022 World Athletics Championships, but he finished eleventh. Similarly, he did not progress from the heats in the 2023 World Championships. “Every year, I used to start my season early. But... I was not being able to compete,” the 29-year-old has said. “I only ran a few 5,000m and 10,000m races (at the start of the 2024 season). I was not running for timing, but taking it as practice for the Olympics.”
Switching his base to the US’s Colorado Springs also proved right as he trained with the likes of multiple Olympic medallist Paul Chelimo. Alongside him in the altitude training at the Springs was Parul Chaudhary, who will represent India in the women’s 5,000m and 3,000m steeplechase.
Sable and Chaudhary, accompanied by coach Scott Simons, also trained in St. Mortiz, Switzerland. Located at an altitude of 1,856m in the Alps, it is a haven for altitude training of long-distance runners. It is a perfect final stop for Sable before his run for glory in Paris.
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After showing immense promise, Sable has somehow failed to establish himself on the global stage. Contracting Covid-19 twice ahead of the Tokyo Olympics did not help. But, he has silenced all doubters by breaking the Kenyan monopoly over the Commonwealth Games with his silver in 2022.
Sable knows his body. He has known it right from the days of running 6km daily to reach school in Maharashtra’s Beed. He had to depend on his fitness to survive while he manned the border at Siachen Glacier. So, when he says he is in the form of his life, there is no need to doubt it. The battles he avoided could well mean the difference in Paris.
“It will be a technical race and I am ready for that,” he said. “Let us see what happens.”