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Avinash Sable, India's star track and field athlete, has expressed his desire to have a mental conditioning coach and other support staff as he seeks to win a medal at the Paris Olympics next year.
Sable has faced his fair share of success and failure. After winning a silver at the Commonwealth Games 2022 with a national record time, the 29-year-old was expected to give a big performance at the World Athletics Championships this year.
However, Sable failed to even make it into the finals as he finished 14th in the heats with a time of 8:22:24. This was a massive 11 seconds slower than his season best and a major upset for the steeplechaser.
Avinash Sable worked on his mental conditioning through video as he trained in Colorado Springs to come back from the World Championships disappointment. He told PTI on Monday (16 October), via The Bridge:
"Many people told me to do yoga, breathing exercises, and meditation. I have not done these before. But I did these during the Asian Games in Hangzhou by watching YouTube. I found it was beneficial to me."
The 29-year-old decided to skip the Diamond League final as he focused on the Asian Games. His effort to improve the mental aspect of his game worked as Sable won gold in the 3000m steeplechase at the Asian Games alongside a silver in the 5000m.
Despite putting the World championships debacle behind him at Hangzhou, he further expressed his desire to have a mental conditioning coach in his support staff.
"To win an Olympic medal, I need a complete package. I had physio but I did the mental conditioning part through video when I was in Colorado Springs. I need mental conditioning and support staff to deal with the mental aspect."
Avinash Sable could change training location as he eyes Olympic medal in Paris
At the Asian Games, Avinash Sable put behind his dismal performance at the World Championships to win gold with a game-record time. His time of 8:19:50 was over four seconds faster than the silver medallist as Sable made the steeplechase a one-man event. He followed it with a second-place finish in the 5000m to take home the silver.
Following his heroics at Hangzhou, Avinash Sable is now eyeing an Olympic medal. To do so, he supposedly believes he needs to shift training bases somewhere closer to Paris where the next Olympics will take place. The Maharashtrian athlete has recently trained under coach Scott Simons in Colorado Springs.
Among his options is Morocco, home to Soufiane El Bakkali, the reigning Olympic and World Champion. Alongside adding the mental training, Sable believes working on his tactics and strategy is what would eventually be key if he wishes to win a medal on the biggest stage (h/t Hindustan Times). So far, Indian athletes have won 35 medals at the Olympics — all in the Summer Games.
