Morocco [North Africa], May 27 (ANI): The Commonwealth Games silver medallist Avinash Sable will start his first 3000m steeplechase event at the Rabat Diamond League 2023 in Morocco on Monday.

Avinash Sable will be appearing second time in the Diamond League. In the last campaign, he finished fifth with the then-national record of 8.12.48 on his Diamond League debut at Morocco meet.

The World Athletics Diamond League is an annual series of top-tier track and field tournaments. Rabat will host the second leg of the Diamond League series. The 2023 Diamond League Final will take place on September 16 and 17 in Eugene, Oregon, USA.

Avinash will have tough competition as Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco will compete again this year. The Tokyo Olympic winner as well as the Diamond League 2022 champion, won the Rabat leg last year at 7:58.28 as per olympics.com.

The other main challengers in Rabat will be a Kenyan trio; Conseslus Kipruto, Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Benjamin Kigen, and Commonwealth Games champion Abraham Kibiwot.

There will be 17 runners competing in the men's 3000m steeplechase event in Rabat.

Sable improved his national record to 8:11.20. He has also won silver at the Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham defeating the 2021 junior world champion Amos Serem. This was the ninth time Sable improved on his 3000m steeplechase national record.

The 28-year-old also holds India's national record in the men's 5000m. He bettered the mark at the Sound Running On Track Fest 2023 meet in Los Angeles in May.

In the first leg of the Diamond League 2023 earlier this month in Doha, India's Olympic javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra opened his season with a world-leading performance of 88.67m, beating Czech Republic's Jakub Vadlejch, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist. (ANI)