Avinash Sable set to compete in Stockholm Diamond League 2023

Stockholm [Sweden], July 1 : India's athlete Avinash Sable is set to compete in the men's 3000m steeplechase race at the Stockholm Diamond League 2023 athletics meet in Stockholm on Sunday.

According to Olympics.com, Avinash Sable will participate in the second Diamond League competition of the season. The 28-year-old Sable competed in the Rabat Diamond League leg in May where he finished 10th with a time of 8:17.18s in his first 3000m steeplechase race of the year.

Sable holds a national record of 8:11.20s in the men's 3000m steeplechase which he achieved at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham to claim the silver medal.

The Indian ace middle-distance runner made a strong start to the 2023 season, winning the men's 5000m race at the Sound Running On Track Fest 2023 with a timing of 13:19.30s. In the process, Sable bettered his national record of 13:25.65s achieved at the same event last year.

At the Stockholm meet, Avinash Sable will compete in a strong 14-man field. Moroccan runner Soufiane El Bakkali, the reigning Olympic, world and Diamond League champion, who won in Rabat with a personal best time of 7.56.68s, will be the favourite once again.

Also in contention will be the 2019 Diamond League champion Getnet Wale. The Ethiopian finished behind Soufiane El Bakkali in Rabat. Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwot will also be in the mix.

The Stockholm Diamond League 2023 will feature 14 disciplines - eight for men and six for women.

The Diamond League is an annual top-tier track and field competition which consists of a series of events culminating into a final.

The competition in Stockholm will be the seventh event of the Diamond League 2023 season. The Diamond League 2023 series will wrap up with the two-day final in Eugene, the USA on September 16 and 17.

Athletes are awarded points based on their performances in each Diamond League leg and the top eight athletes in each event qualify for the final. The winner of the final in each event wins a Diamond League trophy.