Avinash Sable Major Medals and Results
| Year | Competition | Result | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Asian Championships, Doha | Silver | 8:30.19 |
| 2019 | World Championships, Doha | 13th (final) | 8:21.37 |
| 2021 | Olympic Games, Tokyo | Heats | 8:18.12 |
| 2022 | World Championships, Eugene | 11th (final) | 8:31.75 |
| 2022 | Commonwealth Games, Birmingham | Silver | 8:11.20 |
| 2023 | Asian Games, Hangzhou | Gold (Games record) | 8:19.50 |
| 2023 | Asian Games, Hangzhou | Silver | 5000 m |
| 2024 | Paris Diamond League | National record | 8:09.91 |
| 2024 | Olympic Games, Paris | 11th (final) | 8:14.18 |
| 2025 | Asian Championships, Gumi | Gold | 8:20.92 |
| 2026 | Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya | 4th | 8:21.67 |
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.
