Avinash Sable suffers minor injury after Monaco fall, coach assures quick recovery

India’s top steeplechase runner, Avinash Sable, experienced a minor injury after falling during the Monaco Diamond League on Friday.

However, his coach has assured that the injury is not serious, and Sable is expected to make a full recovery within one to two weeks.

Sable, the Asian Games champion and national record holder in the 3000m steeplechase, failed to finish his race after stumbling during the water jump. The 30-year-old was seen clutching the back of his knee, prompting concerns over his fitness just months before the World Athletics Championships.

According to his long-time coach, Amrish Kumar, Sable’s injury is around the knee and is not considered serious. “He will take rest and should be all right in one or two weeks at the maximum,” said Kumar, speaking to the PTI.

Kumar explained that the fall was the result of Sable trying to avoid another runner who had just cleared the water barrier and lost balance. “In the process of avoiding him, he went down. These kinds of things happen in races,” he noted.

The unfortunate incident continues a mixed Diamond League season for Sable. He has accumulated only one point from three appearances so far -13th in Xiamen, 8th in Keqiao, and a DNF (Did Not Finish) in Monaco. This puts his chances of qualifying for the Diamond League Finals in Zurich (August 27–28) in serious doubt.

However, his season remains alive with a clear path forward. On Friday, the Sports Ministry approved his overseas training stint in Colorado Springs, USA, scheduled from July 15 to September 3. The high-altitude training is aimed at fine-tuning his preparations for the World Championships in Tokyo (September 13–21), for which he has already secured qualification.

Coach Amrish Kumar, who discovered Sable after he joined the Indian Army in 2012 and guided his switch from cross country to steeplechase in 2017, remains optimistic about his protégé’s recovery and performance. Sable currently holds the national record of 8:09.91 and has consistently been India’s biggest medal hope in steeplechase events.

The final opportunity for Sable to make a statement in the Diamond League this season will come at the Brussels leg on August 22, the last meet featuring the men’s 3000m steeplechase.

Despite the Monaco setback, all signs indicate that Sable's focus remains firmly on peaking at the World Championships, with his team confident that the fall is just a temporary blip in an otherwise steady season.