Tokyo Olympics-bound Avinash Sable smashed the national record while winning the Airtel Delhi Half Marathon gold among Indian elite runners, clocking 1:00:30sec to finish ahead of his compatriots by a long distance in New Delhi yesterday. 

The 26-year-old Sable, who qualified for the Tokyo Olympics 3000m steeplechase event during the World Athletics Championships last year, became the first Indian to run a half marathon under 61 minutes. 

Such was Sable’s commanding performance that he finished the race way ahead of his Indian rivals Srinu Bugatha and Durga Bahadur Budha who finished second and third with timings of 1:04:16 and 1:04:19 respectively.