Avinash Sable’s year of the steeple learning curve

In March this year, when Avinash Sable won the 3000m steeplechase at the Indian Grand Prix in Thiruvananthapuram clocking 8:16.21—he bettered the mark for the seventh time—he set off a record-breaking chain of sorts. The national mark would fall twice more in the year. In five competitions during 2022, Sable rewrote the record thrice. The last resulted in a historic silver at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games (CWG) where he became the first non-Kenyan medallist in the discipline since 1994.

PREMIUM

It was also a year which provided significant lessons for Sable, who endured an 11th-place finish at the World Championships in Eugene. The time of 8:31.75 was Sable’s worst since 2017, the year he started competing in the event.

“The Worlds was a tough learning experience. We enter the race with some planning, but sometimes your plan A doesn't work, which is what happened in Eugene. Then, you must have a plan B, which I never had. The biggest learning for me is to have a plan B ready,” Sable said.

The tactical race ended up as the slowest in World Championships history with Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali clocking a pedestrian 8:25.13 for victory.

World Championships flop

Sable still feels a degree of regret. “More than anything else, I feel my decision-making let me down. I knew I could accelerate and break away but all I did was waste my time on the track…I realised distance running is as much a mind game as it is a test of fitness and endurance. If you don't have decision-making abilities, you'll struggle.

“I went into the race thinking it will be fast, the way it usually is, and that I won't have to vie for the lead,” he said. “In such slow races, everyone believes they can win a medal. Even in that race, I am sure there must be 7-8 athletes who would’ve thought they'll win a medal. Ultimately whoever was at the right place won the race. El Bakkali has a good finish anyway. A lot of participants that day believed they could have run faster irrespective of the result. I realised that in such situations, I’ll run my own race,” the 28-year-old armyman explained.

CWG high

Less than three weeks after Eugene, Sable was on the podium in Birmingham. The turnaround was built on tactical analysis and introspection. It warranted changes in mindset and diet. Sable realised that in the run-up to the Worlds, he was too reliant on salads and fruits, thinking they will keep him lighter in the race. He had compromised on carbohydrate loading.

“In the days leading up to CWG, I analysed my game inside out. I spoke to a lot of people, from coaches to nutritionists to physios. I had a relook at what I ate in the run-up to the Eugene race, how I trained, whether I overtrained. My plan going into CWG was to take control at the start of the race, which I did.”

The silver ended the 24-year Kenyan hegemony. Since the 1994 Victoria CWG a non-Kenyan had not medalled in the men’s 3000m steeplechase. Sable clocked an excellent 8:11.20 minutes to change that. He missed the gold by 0.05 seconds, but his sublime run has also boosted Sable heading into the pre-Olympics year.

“Everyone around me used to say the Kenyans are next to impossible to beat, even if 5-6 of them run, they'll take the first 5-6 spots. This medal has given me a lot of confidence. People say winning a track and field medal is very tough for an Indian athlete but this has given me the belief that nothing is impossible.”

Plans for 2023

Sable’s next big target is to breach the eight-minute barrier, which he feels is within his grasp. The first step would be to go under 8:10 and Sable aims to push the envelope in the Diamond League. He aims to peak for the 2023 World Championships in August before giving the sub-8-minute race a shot.

“If I get close to 8:05 at Worlds, I may go under 8 in the next race or early next year (2024). I can't put a finger on when because certain tracks are quite fast and it's easier to get a good time there. For Worlds, my focus will be more on winning the medal. If that happens, I'll be in a good space ahead of the Olympics.”

Sable, who trained with coach Scott Simmons in Colorado Springs this year and will work under him from next month, is currently at the national camp in Bengaluru. Overseas training opened a world of possibilities and perspectives for Sable and rubbing shoulders with African runners helped dispel the inferiority complex.

“When I used to train in India, I would think foreigners are doing something drastically different. In competitions, I would go with a defeatist mindset and often give up after the first kilometre itself thinking there's no point competing against these faster guys.”

“That mindset changed when I started training with them. I realised they are successful because they work extra hard. They never give up and never give excuses. That’s why they win.”

Experience unrestricted digital access with HT Premium

Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.