Toughest Games in CWG

One of the toughest games in Common Wealth Games is The Steeplechase (Athletics). Where Steeplechase is the obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing. Events are 3000 meters, 2000 meters, and 1000 meters steeplechase is occasionally used in youth athletics.

Steeplechase has been a men’s Olympics, event since the inception of the 1900 Olympics, though with varying lengths until 1908. The Steeplechase for women is 3000 meters long but with lower barriers than for men. 2000 meters with a shorter jump, had been experimented with before the current race format was established. It made its first major championship appearance at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, and in 2008, the Women’s 3000 meters steeplechase appeared for the first time on the Olympic program in Beijing.

Format of Steeplechase

3000 meters steeplechase has 28 barriers and 7 water jumps.

2000 meters steeplechase has 18 barriers and 5 water jumps.

Naib Subedar Avinash Sable

Avinash is an Indian army officer who bring India a silver medal that can’t be taken by any of the countries.

Avinash was born on 13 September 1994 in Mandwa, Beed district, Maharashtra, in a family of farmers. After completing 12th grade, he joined the 5 Mahar regiment of the Indian Army posted at the Siachen Glacier in 2013-2014, deserts of north-western Rajasthan, followed by Sikkim from 2015.

He took part in inter-army cross country running in 2015 at the insistence of his colleagues, before switching to steeplechase under trainer Amrish Kumar.

He was overweight but managed to lose 20kgs in 3 months, before joining the national camp where he was trained by Nikolai Snesarev. In 2018, Avinash went back to coach Kumar as Snesarev’s training routine did not suit him.

National record

In 2018 Avinash failed to qualify for the Asian games due to his ankle injury, After this, he participated in National Open Championships in Bhubaneswar, where he brock a 37-year-old national record of 8:30.88 held by Gopal Saini and set a new record of 8:29.80 in 2018. And in 2019 he set a new national record of 8:28.94 at the Federation cup in Patiala. Because of this record, he has been qualified for the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships and 2019 World Athletics Championships.

He became the first male steeplechaser from India to qualify for the World Championships since Deena Ram in 1991. Avinash won the silver medal in the 2019 Asian Athletics Championships in Doha, his debut international event, with the timing of 8:30.19.

In 2019 he again broke his national record at the World Championships where he ran 8:25.23 in the heats, After the successful appeal by the Athletics Federation of India, Avinash was included in the final and became the first Indian to qualify for the 3000 meters steeplechase final at the World Championships.

He then improved the national record to 8:21.37 in the final, finishing 13th out of 16 runners, and qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics. And he set a new national record at the 2020 Delhi Half Marathon, completing the run in less than 61 minutes.

In the 2020 summer Olympics, Avinash placed seventh in the heats, setting a new national record of 8:18.12. He was the fastest non-qualifier across all heats.

In 2022, Avinash set two further national records, first at the Indian Grand Prix at 8:16.21 And then at the meeting International Mohamed VI in Rabat at 8:12.48 placing, 5th. He won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games with a new national record time of 8:11.20. It was also the first time an athlete from outside Kenya had won a medal in men’s 3000-meter steeplechase at the Common Wealth Games since 1994.

Honors

1 Common Wealth games – Silver Medal

1 Asian Championships- Silver Medal

2 National Champions

Forget Victories

Avinash says that he wants to forget the commonwealth Games silver soon.

“I need to forget this achievement first of silver medal, and I have to restart training as if I have not achieved anything. I do feel happy. But the main focus is to be better and not believe I have achieved something extraordinary. I remember my losses and learn from them. I forget my Victories”

He stated that he had never experienced such a race in his life.

“I had never experienced such a race in my life. The race was slow, and I was behind. I didn’t know what happened. I had done a lot of speed workouts and still could do nothing. I finished 11th and thought, I could have finished 11th even without any practice. If I could not achieve anything with so much good practice, maybe I will not achieve anything ever.”

Practice with Kenyan Athletes

“When I was in the U.S, the Kenyan athletes used to train there. I used to practice with them as an equal. I thought If I can practice with them Why can’t I compete with them?

He says his victory was because from the age of 6 he used to walk and run for 6 km distance between home and school as there was no transport facility in his. So, that made him strong and became him a champion.