Tokyo: Avinash Sable broke the National Record but failed to qualify for the men’s 3000m steeplechase final at the Tokyo Olympics finishing seventh in Heats at the Olympic Stadium. Running in Heat 2, Sable clocked 8:18.12s, bettering his 8:20.20s at the Federation Cup in Patiala.
The top three in each heat and the next six fastest advance to the final. Meanwhile, it was also curtains for Dutee Chand and MP Jabir in the women’s 100m and men’s 400m hurdles respectively. The Indian 4x400m mixed relay team of Muhammad Anas, Sarthak Bhambri, Revathi Veeramani and Subha Venkatesan also made an early exit on Friday.
Dutee, who clocked 11.17s to break her own National Record in the Inter-State Athletics meet before flying to Tokyo, in Patiala, produced a below-par show on Friday morning. Running in Heat 5 alongside Jamaican Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, India’s fastest woman clocked seventh with a timing of 11.54s.
The top three in each of the seven Heats and the next three fastest advance to the semifinals. Dutee, who missed the Olympic qualification mark by just 0.02s, made the Tokyo Olympics cut on the basis of World Rankings.
Fraser-Pryce won the heat in 10.84s, while Ajla del Ponte of Switzerland and Grace Nzubechi Nwokocha of Nigeria finished second and third respectively. Dutee will have another chance at the Tokyo Olympics when takes the track in the women’s 200m Heats.
Meanwhile, Jabir, who is the second Keralite after PT Usha to compete at an Olympics track and field event, failed to qualify for the men’s 400m hurdles semifinals finishing last in the seven-member field in Heat 5 with a time of 50.77s. Jabir also became the first Indian male athlete to compete in the 400m hurdles at the Olympics.
Meanwhile, the Indian 4x400m mixed relay team finished last in Heat 2 clocking 3.19:93s.
