Steeplechaser Sable fails to finish in Monaco Diamond League

Monaco, Jul 12 (PTI) Indian steeplechaser Avinash Sable failed to finish the 3000m race after suffering a nasty fall while the country's latest sprint sensation Animesh Kujur continued his growing stature on the international circuit by ending a creditable fourth, in the Under-23 200m event at the Monaco Diamond League here.

Olympian and national record holder Sable was expecting a top-5 finish in his favourite event but suffered an injury following a nasty fall quite early in the race.

Sable, 30, who has already qualified for the Tokyo World Championships in September, has not hit his best form this year, finishing 13th and eighth in his previous two Diamond League appearances.

Soufiane el Bakkali of Morocco won the race in a time of 8:01.18 seconds while Ryuji Miura of Japan was second clocking 8:03.43 in a field of 19 runners. Kenya's Edmund Serim was third (8:04.00 seconds).

Meanwhile, Kujur came up with another inspired showing in the Under-23 200m event, clocking 20.55 seconds.

Running against a top field, the 22-year-old from Chhattisgarh held his own as Australian teen prodigy Gout Gout blazed to the top spot with 20.10s.

Botswana’s Busang Collen Kebinathshipi (20.28s) and South Africa’s Naeem Jack (20.42s) completed the top three finishes.

Kujur, who holds the Indian national record in the 200m at 20.32s, has emerged as one of the country’s brightest sprint hopes in recent months.

Just last weekend, he smashed the national 100m record with a 10.18s dash at the Dromia International Sprint and Relays Meet in Greece, eclipsing the previous mark held by his relay teammate Gurindervir Singh.

Earlier this season, he also clocked 20.27s in Geneva -- the fastest 200m ever run by an Indian.

Born in a tribal village in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh, Kujur’s rapid rise has injected fresh hope into Indian men’s sprinting.

He now eyes the tough 20.16s qualifying mark for the World Championships in Tokyo this September while he has vowed to break the 10-second barrier in the 100m event. PTI TAP AM AM DDV