Indian steeplechaser Avinash Sable all set to tackle heat and tough opposition at Olympics 2021

Tokyo's stifling summer heat will be a worrying factor for India’s distance runner Avinash Sable as he makes his Olympic debut on Friday.

The 26-year-old army man is clubbed in heat 2 of the men’s 3000m steeplechase scheduled to be held in the morning session.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, Avinash's coach Amrish Kumar said:

“The weather gets hot during the day. It’s hostile for distance running. Since Avinash’s heat is scheduled for 10 in the morning, it could be a bit taxing to run hard and fast.”

Avinash’s personal and season's best is 8 minutes 20.20 seconds, clocked in March. The steeplechaser was based out of Bengaluru in the final preparatory camp. Though the weather was cool in Bengaluru, Amrish says Avinash is prepared to tackle the Tokyo heat.

“It’s fair play. Not just us but all the athletes will be impacted by the hot weather. We will fight.”

Avinash qualified for the Olympics at the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships. Since then, he hasn’t run a high quality race due to the pandemic.

Negotiating hurdles and water jumps in a competitive field has been Avinash’s weak points. This was evident during the heat and final of the 2019 World Championships.

But Avinash’s coach is confident of a good performance on Friday.

“We have done enough training. We hope to advance to the medal round,” Amrish said after Thursday’s training session from Tokyo.

Indian athletes will be in action in the men’s 400m hurdles and women's 100m heats in the morning session. The Indian team will also compete in the mixed 4x400m relay scheduled for the evening.

Dutee Chand at IAAF World Indoor Championships - Day 3

MP Jabir will compete in the 400m hurdles for India while Dutee Chand will be seen in action in the women’s 100m heat.

Both Jabir and Dutee have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics on the basis of their world ranking points.

This will be Jabir’s first big race of the season. It will be interesting to see whether the 25-year-old sprinter from Kerala manages to improve upon his season best of 49.78 seconds clocked in March at the domestic meet in Patiala.

Jabir’s personal best is the 49.13 seconds he clocked at the 2019 Doha Asian Athletics Championships. He won bronze in the event.

Hot and humid conditions have been favorable for sprints. Tokyo weather on Friday will not be a big concern for Dutee who trained in Patiala and Hyderabad to prepare for the Games.

Dutee’s personal and season's best time for 100m is the 11.17 seconds she clocked in March. She aims to break that barrier in Tokyo.

Adille Sumariwalla, president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), said the federation has been interacting online with the athletes. Confirming that all is well with the contingent, he said:

“There is no injury issue. The athletes are healthy and should give their best.”