Avinash Sable

Avinash Sable Quick Facts

Why Avinash Sable Matters

The steeplechase is one of athletics’ most demanding events and has long been dominated by Kenyan and Moroccan runners. Avinash Sable took an event in which India had no international presence and made it a source of medals and history. He became the first Indian to reach a World Championships steeplechase final, the first Indian man to reach an Olympic steeplechase final, the first non-Kenyan in 28 years to win a Commonwealth medal in the event, and India’s first male Asian Games steeplechase champion. He did all of it after starting formal training at 21, having spent his first years as a soldier at Siachen and in the Rajasthan desert.

Avinash Sable Major Medals and Results

Early Life and Family

Avinash was born on 13 September 1994 in Mandva, a village near Ashti in Maharashtra’s drought-prone Beed district, to farmers Mukund and Vaishali Sable. As a child he covered several kilometres on foot to reach school each day. A primary school teacher, Babasaheb Taware, noticed his stamina and took him to a school meet for a 1000 m race, which he won. Athletics was not yet a serious ambition, however, and after school he joined the Indian Army.

Breakthrough: From Siachen to the Steeplechase

Posted with the 5th Battalion of the Mahar Regiment, Sable served at the Siachen Glacier in 2013 and 2014, then in the deserts of north-western Rajasthan and in Sikkim. He joined the Army’s athletics programme as a cross-country runner in 2015. An injury and time away from training left him overweight, but Army coach Amrish Kumar spotted him attempting the barriers and switched him to the steeplechase in 2017. Within months he finished fifth at the Federation Cup, and at the 2018 Open Nationals in Bhubaneswar he broke a 37-year-old national record set by Gopal Saini in 1981.

Avinash Sable Career Journey

2019 to 2021: World Finalist and Olympian

In his first international event, the 2019 Asian Championships in Doha, he won silver. At the World Championships in the same city later that year he was initially eliminated in the heats after being obstructed, but India’s appeal succeeded and he was added to the final, becoming the first Indian to run a World Championships steeplechase final. He lowered the national record in both rounds and qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, the first Indian man to qualify in the event since 1952. In Tokyo he set another national record in his heat but did not advance.

2022: Breaking Kenya’s Hold

At the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, Sable ran 8:11.20 to take silver, finishing just behind Kenya’s winner and ending a Kenyan clean sweep of the event’s podium that dated back to 1994. It was India’s first Commonwealth medal in the steeplechase and another national record.

2023 to 2025: Asian Champion

At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou he ran most of the final alone at the front to win gold in a Games record of 8:19.50, the first men’s steeplechase gold for India at the Games, and added a silver in the 5000 m. In July 2024 he ran 8:09.91 at the Paris Diamond League for his latest national record, then became the first Indian man to reach an Olympic steeplechase final, finishing 11th in Paris. In May 2025 he won the Asian Championships title in Gumi, South Korea.

2025 to 2026: Injury and Comeback

Two months later, at the Monaco Diamond League, a rival’s stumble at the water jump brought Sable down and left him with a serious knee injury. He spent 14 months away from racing, missed the 2026 Commonwealth Games and has spoken about the self-doubt that followed. Supported by the staff at the Sports Authority of India centre in Bengaluru, he returned in 2026 and won the steeplechase at the Indian Athletics Series Final in New Delhi in September. Weeks later at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya he finished fourth in a season’s best of 8:21.67, as Japan’s Ryuji Miura took gold and broke Sable’s Games record.

Avinash Sable Records and Milestones

• 3000 m steeplechase national record of 8:09.91 (Paris, July 2024); he has broken the record at least ten times.
• First Indian to reach a World Championships steeplechase final (Doha 2019).
• First Indian man to reach an Olympic steeplechase final (Paris 2024).
• First Indian medal in the Commonwealth Games steeplechase (silver, 2022), ending Kenya’s podium sweep since 1994.
• First Indian man to win Asian Games steeplechase gold (Hangzhou 2023), in a Games record that stood until 2026.
• Also set a national record in the half marathon (Delhi, 2020).

Avinash Sable Awards and Honours

• Arjuna Award (2022)
• Asian Games gold medal (2023) and Asian Championships gold medal (2025)
• Commonwealth Games silver medal (2022)

Army Career and Personal Life

Sable continues to serve in the Indian Army, and has often said his time in the forces shaped his discipline and toughness as a runner. He remains closely connected to his family and village in Beed district, where his rise has made him a local hero and a symbol of what rural Maharashtra’s athletes can achieve.

Frequently Asked Questions About Avinash Sable

What is Avinash Sable’s national record?

He holds the Indian 3000 m steeplechase record of 8:09.91, set at the Paris Diamond League in July 2024.

How did Avinash Sable do at the 2026 Asian Games?

Returning from a 14-month injury layoff, he finished fourth in the 3000 m steeplechase final in Aichi-Nagoya on 28 September 2026 with a season’s best of 8:21.67.

Is Avinash Sable in the Army?

Yes. He serves with the Mahar Regiment of the Indian Army and was posted to the Siachen Glacier before he began athletics training.

Has Avinash Sable won an Olympic medal?

No. His best Olympic result is 11th in the steeplechase final at Paris 2024, where he became the first Indian man to reach that final.