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Indian Express
27-06-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Fit-again after calf and hamstring injuries, steeplechaser Avinash Sable eyes training stint in Morocco before World Athletics Championships
An injury to the right calf and hamstring was the reason for a mellow start to the season, India's middle-distance runner Avinash Sable said. Sable has run three races so far this year but his timings are nowhere close to the personal best of 8 minutes, 9.91 seconds. Sable started the season with the Xiamen Diamond League in April, clocking 8:22.59. He then ran at the Shanghai Diamond League, where he recorded a time of 8:23.85 and his last race was at the Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, where he clocked 8:20.92 to record his season best and also win the gold medal. The athlete from Maharashtra revealed that he was carrying an injury in the right calf and hamstring, which has impacted his timings. 'I was injured at the start of the season and that resulted in the poor results in the two Diamond League events in China,' Sable told the reporters in Bengaluru. 'Last-minute pull-outs from such big events send the wrong message, so I decided to go on with it despite the injury. I had a calf injury, and there was a lot of pain in my right calf and hamstring. But now I have recovered.' Currently training at the SAI Centre in Bengaluru, Sable has recovered from his injury and is looking forward to the upcoming tournaments. 'The recovery was good and I feel much better than at the start of the season,' said Sable. Sable will next compete at the Diamond League in Monaco next month but his ultimate target this year is September's World Championship. 'I might participate in the Brussels Diamond League (after the Monaco leg). I will compete in some competitions in India also. My main focus will be to do well in the World Championships,' he said. Until the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sable was training under Scott Simmons at Colorado Springs in the USA. However, after the Olympics, he has moved back to Bengaluru and is looking forward to some options in Africa to train. 'It was good training under Scott Simmons but I think I needed a change as it was not suited for my body. Currently, I don't have a full-time coach. I take support from Coach Kalyan Chaudhary who has been appointed by the Athletics Federation of India. Mostly, I have been making my plans and working on them, with Kalyan sir guiding me whenever needed. I trained under him before the two Diamond Leagues and then again ahead of the Asian Championships,' said Sable. He added: 'I searched for training bases in Africa and I have zeroed down on Morocco. The city of Ifrane is on my mind. After the Monaco Diamond League, I plan to train there for 45 days and spend some time training in Bengaluru also before the World Championships.' The plan to train in Morocco has not yet been sanctioned. Sable said he'll soon send a proposal to the federation. Sable became the first-ever Indian to dip below the timing of 8:10.00 in the 3000m steeplechase last year at the Paris Diamond League, setting a new national record. 'Last year was not that great due to the injuries later on. After the Paris Diamond League, I planned to run more races with a similar timing but it didn't happen,' said Sable. 'I have worked on things like finishing the race and tracking my mileage throughout the race. With the preparation I have, there are good chances that I clock my personal best or time closer to it at the Monaco Diamond League. At the World Championships, my focus will be to improve on my previous performance at the event.' Like the 90m mark that bothered Indian Javelin star Neeraj Chopra for years, the question of the 8-minute mark in steeplechase is quite prevalent. When asked if he, too, thinks about the milestone, Sable said: 'I want to break the 8-minute barrier but I know it won't happen that quickly. With training and gradual improvement, I might break it sometime later.' Apart from Steeplechase, Sable also runs the 5000m and 10000m occasionally. But he wants to focus on 5,000m after the World Championships. 'Sometimes, if I focus on two events, it hampers my performance in my main event. I might try 1500m or 5000m but my focus will be on Steeplechase till Worlds. After the World Championships, I will focus more on the 5000m also and won't leave the event,' he concluded. 8:20.92- Asian Athletics Championships 8:22.59- Xiamen Diamond League 8:23.82- Shanghai Diamond League (The writer is at the National Centre of Excellence, Bengaluru, at the invitation of the Sports Authority of India)
The Citizen
07-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
In-form sprinter Akani Simbine targets quicker times ahead of World Champs
Simbine is the fastest man in the world this year after clocking 9.90 in the 100m sprint in Gaborone last month. Akani Simbine (left) holds off a challenge from Jamaican sprinter Kishane Thompson on his way to victory in the 100m race at the Shanghai Diamond League in China last week. Picture: Jiang Han/Xinhua/AFP Having opened his season in explosive fashion, experienced sprinter Akani Simbine has fired a warning at his opposition, claiming he will go even quicker this year. After securing the bronze medal in the 60m final on debut at the World Indoor Championships in Nanjing in March, 31-year-old Simbine went on to win all three of his 100m races thus far in the international outdoor campaign, including the first two legs of the top-flight Diamond League series in China. Simbine is also the fastest man in the world this year after clocking 9.90 at the Botswana Golden Grand Prix in Gaborone earlier this month. He admitted on Tuesday, however, that he would need to go quicker later this year if he hoped to secure a medal at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo in September. But the consistent speedster believed he would again be ready to challenge for a podium place, as he had done at almost every major global championship for the last decade (though he remained without an individual outdoor medal). 'I'm running well for the beginning of the season, but this is not a peak or anything. It's only May and I'm not meant to be running 9.7 or 9.8 now,' Simbine said. 'That doesn't make sense in wanting to make sure we're at our best in September.' Chasing medal at World Relays Meanwhile, Simbine was eager to anchor the national 4x100m relay team at the World Athletics Relays championship in Guangzhou this weekend. Having led the SA quartet to the silver medal at last year's Paris Olympics, he believed they could challenge for the podium again with a squad that featured 19-year-old Bayanda Walaza and 20-year-old Bradley Nkoana, who also formed part of the team that stepped on the podium in the French capital. Simbine felt the national squad could also put up a fight in the men's 4x400m relay this weekend – anchored by in-form athlete Zakithi Nene – as they did when they secured silver at the World Relays in Bahamas last year. 'We have two strong teams in the 4x100m relay – with the young guys who are showing a lot of form coming off our national championships – as well as the 4x400m guys,' Simbine said. 'So I think that's the two events Team SA are most looking forward to and trying to make sure the guys bring something back for South Africa.'
Independent Singapore
05-05-2025
- Sport
- Independent Singapore
High hurdler Cordell Tinch aims for a spot in this year's World Championships
SHANGHAI: American hurdler Cordell Tinch continued his breakthrough season with a stunning win at the Shanghai-Keqiao Diamond League, clocking a final time of 12.87 seconds in the 110-m hurdles. The 24-year-old's time not only secured him back-to-back Diamond League victories in consecutive weeks, but he also tied as the fourth-fastest man in history, alongside 2008 Olympic champion Dayron Robles. Tinch, although having an unconventional path to the elite level, says he's staying focused on his improvement as he aims to make the US team for this year's world championships. The athlete said: 'I'm just happy to come out compete again and honestly, just build off of last week, so as we continue to go through this season, I just want to get better each week… Technically, last year was my first full season as a pro. They say, your first full year as a pro, it's a learning process. You got to learn things, so there's a lot of things that I had to learn.' In a social media post made by Athletics Weekly, it stated: 'What a start to the season for Cordell Tinch 🔥 Off the back of times of 12.97 (3.4) and 13.06 (0.3) in the last couple of weeks, he clocks an incredible 12.87 (0.6) to win over 110m hurdles at the Shanghai Diamond League 🇨🇳 It puts Tinch joint-fourth on the 110m hurdles all-time list ⚡️' A netizen commented on the post and said: 'Such a strong start to the season! I truly believe you are a shoo-in @ to make the US Team! I truly believe you have a great shot to win gold!! Your technique and ability to maintain top speed is what separates you from the other 110mh!' Tinch's sporting background Just two years ago, Tinch was selling cellphones in Green Bay, having stepped away from a football scholarship and a potential Division I track career at the University of Minnesota. He then returned to athletics through a Division II programme at Pittsburg State (Pitt State), where he quickly made headlines with standout performances in the high jump, long jump, and especially the 110-m hurdles. Tinch went on to become a professional in 2024 as he made a strong start. However, a mid-season surgery set him back. He narrowly missed a spot on the US Olympic team after finishing fourth at the trials in 13.03 seconds. Recently, he beat world record holder Grant Holloway at the Diamond League opener in Xiamen last week with a time of 13.06 seconds. He followed this win with his remarkable 12.87-second performance at the China Textile City Sports Centre in Shanghai. Moreover, Tinch's recent 12.87-second run in Shanghai now puts him among the sport's top contenders, and his eyes are set firmly on making the world championship team later this year. 'I'll be honest, I kind of felt like I was going to run something fast… I'd been getting out very well all week, but it's a matter of trying to finish those races when I get out well, because I'll get out well and I'll get a little relaxed towards the end,' he added. He further stated: 'I don't want to miss any more USA teams, so regardless of what I got to do, I thought (13.03) last year was fast enough, but it's not, so sometimes you got to go run 12.8 and figure it out from there.'
News.com.au
04-05-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Aussie women shine on world stage with Diamond League podiums
Gout Gout has lifted athletics to a place in the Australian sports consciousness where it hasn't been for more than 50 years. But the teen tyro won't be doing the heavy lifting alone, with a gaggle of track and field athletes excelling on the world stage. Victorian Sarah Billings became the second-fastest Australian woman over 800m over the weekend when she finished second in the Shanghai Diamond League in a personal best time. Her 1min 57.83sec behind Ethiopia's Tsige Duguma (1:56.64), made her the only Aussie woman beside two-time Olympian Catriona Bisset to break the 1:58 barrier for the distance after crossing just 0.05sec outside Bisset's national record. It was a second Diamond League podium in a row for Billings, who was third in the 1000m at the opening Diamond League round of the year in Xiamen. The breakthrough campaign of Sarah Billings has rolled on at the Shanghai Diamond League which saw her become the second fastest Australian woman in history over 800m, finishing in second place as high jumpers Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson also landed on the podium ðŸ'ŽðŸ'¥â€¦ — Australian Athletics (@AustralianAths) May 3, 2025 The 27-year-old, who has already qualified for the 1500m at the world championships in Tokyo later this year, heeded the advice of coach Nic Bideau, stepping on the gas in the final laps and waiting for gaps to open down the straight. 'Today I had a really clear race plan, I just wanted to go really hard at 300m (to go),' Billings said. 'My coach Nic told me this morning that gaps open up with 100m to go on the inside and to watch for it; I watched for it and some opened up. 'I have been picked for the World Championships in the 1500m already so that's still the main goal, but I think that (800m) was pretty close to the national record, so I'm just really happy.' High jump duo Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson also stepped on to the podium in second and third place respectively, only bettered on the night by world record holder and Olympic champion, Ukraine's Yaroslava Mahuchikh. Olyslagers cleared 1.98m on her second attempt to separate herself from Patterson who finished with 1.95m. Mahuchikh was the only woman in the field to clear 2m, with a clean sheet to 2.00m, where Olyslagers missed all three attempts before the Ukrainian lifted the bar to 2.03m, missing her attempts. 'The competition today was a big improvement from last week (Xiamen Diamond League), I enjoyed it,' Olyslagers said. 'Today I had courage and I am thankful for that. 'This is the first time I have started my season a bit later, so every jump of course I want to be over 2m and getting personal bests but I have great faith that God will get me ready. I don't worry about the past, I just go forward.' In other results, pole vaulter Kurtis Marschall (5.72m) was fourth behind Olympic champ Mondo Duplantis, who set a meet record 6.11m, while Mackenzie Little was ninth in the javelin and Liam Adcock seventh in the pre-program long jump. On the track, South Australia's Matthew Clarke was 10th in the 3000m steeple chase, while rising Queensland middle distance runner Jude Thomas was 16th in the 5000m in his Diamond League debut.
ABC News
03-05-2025
- Sport
- ABC News
Australia's Sarah Billings second in 800m at Shanghai Diamond League meet
Sarah Billings has narrowly missed breaking the Australian women's 800 metres record as she enjoyed another breakthrough performance at the Shanghai Diamond League meet. She clocked a personal best of 1 minute and 57.83 seconds as she chased home Ethiopian winner Tsige Duguma (1:56.64). Billings's time was just 0.05 outside Catriona Bisset's national mark of 1:57.78, set in London six years ago. "I couldn't be happier," Billings said after the race. Photo shows Eleanor Patterson competing in the high jump at the 2025 Maurie Plant Meet. Australian high jumpers Eleanor Patterson and Nicola Olyslagers secure top-three finishes at the Xiamen Diamond League meet, while sprinter Lachlan Kennedy places fifth in 100m. "I've been picked for the world championships in the 1,500m already, so that's still the main goal. "But that was pretty close to the national record, so I'm really happy." Billings was not the only Australian to reach the podium. Nicola Olyslagers and Eleanor Patterson finished second and third respectively behind Ukraine's Olympic champion and world record holder, Yaroslava Mahuchikh, in the women's high jump. Olyslagers cleared 1.98m on her second attempt to finish ahead of Patterson (1.95m) but Mahuchikh's 2.00m clearance again put her on top Mahuchikh won ahead of Patterson and Olyslagers in Xiamen. Sweden's Olympic and world champion Armand Duplantis soared 6.11m to win the men's pole vault. Australian Kurtis Marschall cleared 5.72m to claim fourth place. AAP
