'It's a tough setback, but I'm determined to do the hard work and come back stronger. Thank you for all your messages of support. I'll be back faster and stronger.'
Asian Games gold medallist 3000m steeplechaser Avinash Sable has undergone ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) surgery after suffering the injury during the Monaco Diamond League earlier this month and the Indian will be ruled out of World Athletics Championships in September.
The 30-year-old Sable, the reigning Asian champion and a gold medallist in the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, went under the knife in a Mumbai hospital. The procedure was performed under the care of well-known surgeon Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala.
An ACL surgery normally takes at least six months to heal, and it means that Sable will be ruled out of the Tokyo World Championships (September 13-21) and is expected to action only next year.
'During the Monaco Diamond League, I suffered an ACL and meniscus injury to my right knee. I've completed my surgery under the expert care of Dr. Dinshaw Pardiwala and his team at Kokilaben Hospital, to whom I'm grateful beyond words,' Sable wrote on his Instagram handle on Tuesday alongside a picture.
'I also want to thank the Athletics Federation of India, TOPS, Sports Authority of India, the Inspire Institute of Sport, Nike and JSW Sports for standing by me during this period. It's a tough setback, but I'm determined to do the hard work and come back stronger. Thank you for all your messages of support. I'll be back faster and stronger,' he added.
National record holder Sable sustained the injury due to a nasty fall during the Monaco DL on July 11.
The athlete ahead of him lost balance and went down during the water jump early in the race, causing Sable to stumble as well. He was seen clutching his lower thigh area just at the back of the knee as he left the race.
Sable's formative coach Amrish Kumar had termed the injury not serious but later it turned out to be a major one.
He has been battling a calf injury since the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023. But having shaken off the injury that plagued him for over a year, Sable was hoping to make a mark in the World Championships for which he qualified during the Paris Olympics by breaching the direct entry standard of 8 minutes 15 seconds.
Sable, whose national record stands at 8 minutes 09.91 seconds, finished 13th in the Xiamen DL on April 16, and was eighth in Keqiao -- also in China -- before a DNF in Monaco.
Though the sports ministry had approved Sable's training in the USA to prepare for the World Championships, the surgery has ruled him out of the showpiece in Tokyo.
Asian champion and national record holder 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji had also undergone ACL surgery earlier this month after suffering an injury during a training session.
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