On Friday night at Brussels’ King Baudouin Stadium, Indian Steeplechase runner Avinash Sable secured ninth position in his Diamond League final debut. He completed the men’s 3000m steeplechase with a time of 8 minutes and 17.09 seconds, while Kenya’s Amos Serem, won the event beating the Paris Olympic champion Soufiane El Bakkali with a time of 8 minutes and 6.90 seconds.
Highlights of the League
At the Start of the race, Sable struggled at the back of the 10-man field, unable to position himself as a contender. Despite being a national record holder, he remained in ninth place throughout the race.
On the race day, Sable Celebrated his birthday, who was initially ranked 14th in the Diamond League standings with three points from two events. The opportunity to join the season finale arose when top four athletes, Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, Geordie Beamish of New Zealand, Japan’s Ryuji Mura, and Hillary Bor of the USA, withdrew from the event which allowed Sable to participate in the season final. At the Paris Olympics, Sable finished 11th in the final at the Stade de France with a time of 8 minutes and 14.18 seconds.
Amos Serem takes the title, Beating Olympic Champion El Bakkali
The victory of Amos Serem over Soufiane El Bakkali the Olympic champion was the race’s highlight. Serem Maintained a strong lead throughout particularly in the last 400m, while El Bakkali’s attempt to close the gap fell 1.70 seconds short, leaving him in second place. This victory for Serem was a significant comeback following the struggle he had at the Paris Olympics with a critical water Jump that prevented him from reaching the final. For Amos, this victory was his redemption after missing out on the final in Paris.
Neeraj Chopra set to compete in Javelin Final
On day two of the Brussels Diamond League, all eyes will be on Neeraj Chopra, the Paris Olympics 2024 silver medalist, in the men’s javelin throw final. Ranked fourth with 14 points from his performances in Doha and Lausanne, Chopra is set to face stiff competition from Anderson Peters of Grenada, the current points leader and Paris 2024 bronze medalist, along with Julian Weber of Germany.
