Athletics World Championships: Disappointments galore on day 1 as Avinash Sable, Shaili Singh make early exits

Budapest, August 19

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Steeplechaser Avinash Sable failed to qualify for the final round of the 3,000 metres steeplechase at the World Athletics Championships after finishing a disappointing seventh in his heat race in a shocking result here today.

Three Indians brought up the rear in the men’s 20km race walk final, while young Shaili Singh also failed to make it to the women’s long jump final on a mediocre opening day for the country’s athletes.

Sable, who trained abroad for many months on Sports Ministry’s funding to prepare for the showpiece and was exempted from competing in the domestic events, clocked 8 minutes, 22.24 seconds to finish seventh in Heat 1.

It was a tactical race and the 28-year-old failed yet again on the biggest stage. He was leading the pack at the 2,300m mark but lost momentum later on, especially in the last lap, to clock well below his national record time of 8:11.20.

Only the top five finishers in the three heats make it to the final round.

Sable was expected to make it to the final, if not win a medal. His performance is a huge disappointment for the Indian camp. This was Sable’s third World Championships appearance and it is the first time he could not reach the final round.

He had finished 11th in the final in USA’s Eugene last year, faltering in a race that was one of the slowest in the history of the showpiece. He was 13th in the 2019 edition in Doha.

World record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia clocked the best time going into the final with 8:15.89 as he won Heat 3, while Olympics and world champion Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco was second in Heat 2 with 8:23.66.

In the men’s 20km race walk, Vikash Singh finished 28th in a time of 1 hour, 21 minutes and 58 seconds, while Paramjit Singh (1:24:02) and Akashdeep Singh (1:31:12) were 35th and 47th, respectively, in the event in which 50 athletes competed.

The performance of national record holder Akashdeep Singh was all the more disappointing as he was the last athlete to finish the race.

Shaili, a protege of the legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George, finished 14th out of the 18 competing athletes in Group B qualification round with a best effort of 6.40m. The 19-year-old Indian, who has a personal best of 6.76m, ended 24th overall in the combined result of the two qualification groups.

She jumped 6.26m in her first attempt before clearing 6.40m and 6.30m in her next two attempts.

Those who cleared 6.80m or at least 12 best performers from the two qualification groups make it to the final round.