Indian athletes got off to a poor start in the World Athletics Championships 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. India’s top distance runner Avinash Sable failed to qualify for the finals of the men’s 3000 m steeplechase event. The Indian athlete failed to make it to the summit clash after finishing seventh in heat number one on August 17, Saturday.
Sable won silver medals in the 2022 Commonwealth Games and 2019 Asian Championships. The athlete had been practising abroad on Sports Ministry’s funding to prepare for the prestigious tournament. Not only this but he was also exempted from domestic tournaments and competitions. For obvious reasons, the 28-year-old athlete was expected to perform better.
However, the Maharashtra-born clocked 8 minutes and 22.24 seconds to finish seventh in the first heat. After getting knocked out from the event, Sable got teared up and said, “I made a mistake of thinking I am fit and I will save my full power for final.”
On the other hand, India’s star long jump athlete Shaili Singh failed to make it to the final of the Women’s Long Jump Event. Singh finished in the 24th spot among 36 athletes and leapt 6.40 m in her third attempt.
