Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary set new national records at the Los Angeles athletics meet

The Los Angeles athletics meet witnessed both Avinash Sable and Parul Chaudhary break the respective national records in both men’s and women’s 5000m race.

Avinash Sable bettered on his own national record in the men’s 5000m race with a new time of 13:19.30 at the Sound Running On Track Fest 2023 in Los Angeles, USA. Meanwhile, the women’s 5000m national record that had lasted for the previous 13 years also ended up getting shattered by Parul Choudhary.

In his first race of 2023, Indian athlete Avinash Sable did quite well. He finished in 12^th place at the Los Angeles meet which is a World Atheltics Continental Tour silver event and recorded a time of 13:19.30, bettering his own national record in India by the process.

His previous best NR had been clocked at 13:25.65 which he had achieved at the Sound Running Track Meet in San Juan Capistrano last year and his current record is better by a little over six seconds.

I was at San Juan Capistrano where Sable first put his name on the national record by shattering the previous long-standing national record of 13:29.70 held by Bahadur Singh since 1992.

Avinash Sable also holds the national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase, courtesy a silver medal-winning 8:11.20 run at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham.

The 28-year-old had also taken part in the men’s 10,000m race at the Hilmer Lodge Stadium that took place later in the day but ended up with a DNF finish.

Cooper Teare clocked 13:12.73 to win the men’s 5000m race at the Sound Running Track Fest 2023.

Sable, who won a silver medal at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year, received plenty of praise and support from his coach Amrish Kumar.

“His forte is the 3,000m steeplechase. But when he ran the 5000m, his endurance and capacity automatically increased. Not every athlete has such capacity to run in 5,000m and 3,000m. So, it is a big positive for Avinash. He is an extraordinary athlete and this ability will benefit him a lot,” said Amrish about his student.

Meanwhile, another national record was set in the women’s 5000m race where Parul Chaudhary finished ninth among 21 competing women with a national record-setting time of 15:10.35. The event was won by Josette Andrews who had clocked a time of 14:43.36.

Parul Chaudhary’s run also helped her overtake the previous long-standing record in women’s 5000m that had stood for 13 years. That record Preeja Sreedharan who clocked 15:15.89 at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

Interestingly, Parul Chaudhary also broke the women’s 3000m national record in LA last year, at the Sound Running Sunset Tour.

All of the national records broken in the LA meet are subject to ratification by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).