CWG 2022: When walking would suffice, Avinash Sable ran

He would carry out most of the activities, including covering a distance of six kilometres from his home to school, running. Both ways, every day, for years. Little did the Sables know their son's everyday routine from younger days was gradually turning into baby steps to a career in athletics.

The very humble background also attracted the attention of his coach Amrish Kumar, who acted as the fulcrum around which Sable started achieving success, the latest being the silver-winning effort of 8:11.20 at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games. "When I was a child, I had never thought I would become an athlete and win medals for the country. It's destiny," the 27-year-old would say.

Having taken to competitive sport after joining the Indian Army five years ago, Sable is a classic case of an athlete with a "will of steel" conquering lofty heights, despite enormous hardships. Born to a poor farmer's family at Mandwa village in Maharashtra's Beed district, Sable made rewriting the 3000m steeplechase national record a habit. At Birmingham, he became the first non-Kenyan to win a medal since 1994 at CWG.

A versatile distance runner, Sable owns national records in three events. He also holds the 5000m (13:25.65) and half marathon (1:00:30) national records. He broke the 30-year-old earlier 5000m national record of Bahadur Prasad in May.

After passing his 12th class examination, Sable joined the Indian Army to support his parents financially, and that changed his life. Besides success in sports, he is now also a Junior Commission Officer (JCO). Many of the top athletes in India and the world over start early when they are at school.