Last-Minute Officials’ Decision Creates Dramatic Turn at Tokyo World Championships, Altering Track & Field Athlete’s Fate Shocking late ruling at the Tokyo World Championships reshapes the steeplechas

Sometimes life feels like a race; you stumble, you fall, but the true test is whether you rise, dust yourself off, and charge to the finish. Jean-Simon Desgagnés’ 2025 season is a story written in exactly that spirit. After a difficult start to the season, at the Canadian Championships in Ottawa in July 2025, he rediscovered his rhythm, winning the 3000m Steeplechase in 8:29.82. That momentum carried into the Tokyo World Championships, though with a twist that nearly turned triumph into disaster for the track and field athlete.

The 3000m steeplechase heat on September 13 lit up from the gun, with Sweden’s Leo Magnusson tearing through 800m in 2:20, closely shadowed by Jean-Simon Desgagnés. The pace was brutal, leaving American Kenneth Rooks trailing by 25 meters at 2000m, his World final