2024 Paris Olympics: Avinash Sable takes inspiration from Milkha Singh, PT Usha; hopes to win a medal

Indian steeplechase athlete Avinash Sable has set sights on winning a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The 29-year-old is a force to reckon with on the national circuit, having broken his own national record multiple times, with the latest being at the recently concluded Paris Diamond League.

The 3000m steeplechase athlete won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games and hoped that he can replicate the same performance at the prestigious quadrennial Games.

Having failed to make it to the finals at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Sable said that while his confidence has improved, he hoped that things would fall into place. “I don’t want to just participate, I believe I can win a medal. I am working hard with my eyes set on that goal, if everything falls into place I can win a medal. I used to think Olympic medallists had a unique and difficult approach to training, but my experiences over the past two years have boosted my confidence,” the 29-year-old said in Jio Cinemas ‘The Dreamers” show.

Although Sable broke the national record after he finished with a timing of 8:9.91s, he finished sixth at the Paris Diamond League. At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sable would face stiff competition, with as many as seven athletes having a better time than Sable in the ongoing season.

However, the Indian athlete is optimistic of winning a medal after having taken inspiration from legendary athletes Milkha Singh, Sriram Singh and PT Usha. “Their performances at the world level have deeply inspired me. If my role models can excel globally, so can I. I’ve been taught to focus on my own progress rather than others. My competition is with my timing,” he said.

Sable said he also takes motivation from his Commonwealth Games feat, where he won the silver medal breaking Kenya’s dominance in the event, and that he has always stayed focussed on improving at every event. “My goal has always been self-improvement rather than focusing on the competition. This mindset has allowed me to break the national record ten times. My aim at the Commonwealth Games was to compete against the Kenyan athletes. Finishing second by a fraction of a second gave me the confidence that we can compete against the best in the world,” he concluded.