Last-Minute Officials’ Decision Creates Dramatic Turn at Tokyo World Championships, Altering Track & Field Athlete’s Fate

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 hopes slipping away. Then came heartbreak: with just 400m left, Desgagnés clipped a barrier after contact with New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, a stumble that nearly shattered his world finale dream. The Canadian finished heat 2 of the 3000m steeplechase in 10th place, clocking 8:36.58. One might think his World Championship dreams might have come to an end here, as only the first 5 from each heat qualify for the final.

After the tumble, the Canadian federation swiftly requested a review from the World Championships referees, and in a storybook twist, video officials ruled Simon Desgagnés blameless, confirming his place in the finals with the rest of the field.

Desgagnés’ race at the World Championships is a reflection of his 2025 season so far. It began on a bittersweet note in Boston, dipping under four minutes in the mile but missing the statement run he sought. The frustration lingered in Los Angeles with a lackluster 5000m, yet the Canadian refused to fade. By Rehlingen, he clawed his way into contention with a gritty fifth-place finish. After his victory at the Canadian Championships, he now has a chance to use the renewed momentum for a strong finish at the Tokyo World Championships final.

As for the drama-filled 3000m steeplechase heat in Tokyo, after the contact with Desgagnés, in a dramatic twist, Beamish slipped but flipped the script, clawing his way back with a ferocious final 400m to storm into 2nd in 8:27.23. Germany’s breakout star, Frederick Ruppert, kept his dream alive, charging to 4th in 8:27.83 for a finals berth. Salaheddine Ben Yazide won the head with the fastest time of 8:27.21.

Meanwhile, U.S. champion Kenneth Rooks faded hard, tumbling to 11th in 8:45.57. And with that, the 3000m steeplechase ended the American athlete’s dreams of getting the gold. Let’s have a look at what Kenneth Rooks has to say about his performance.

“I was not hoping for what happened today,” said Kenneth Rooks about his performance

This season has been nothing but a rollercoaster ride for Rooks; even he himself calls it a rollercoaster season, yet everywhere he races, the shadow of his Olympic silver looms large, setting the bar before the gun even fires. “Once I won the silver medal, everyone expected me to do well in every single race. It has affected my ability to perform … I don’t want to avoid being a silver medalist; I want to embrace it, and I do; it’s just the pressure that comes with it … I’ve dealt with it well at times and sometimes not,” said Rooks ahead of his World Championship race, and it appears his words were certainly true.

The looming blanket of expectations may have weighed on him, but the deeper issue ran far beyond that. After the 3,000m steeplechase, the Olympian told the media that his health had played a significant role in his performance, making him feel like the scapegoat. “Well, I have been dealing with an SI joint issue off and on since the US Champs. I don’t think that really had a huge effect on me today. Something that I guess I had experienced that was a little unexpected today, was that I’ve been getting some congestion the last couple of days, and it’s slowly been moving down into my chest.”

He further added, “I’ve been feeling great on all my runs, on all my strides, and everything. But today, starting, I could feel the congestion breaking up in my lungs, like (in) the first couple laps and that just freaked me out a little bit.” It was shocking to see him trailing far behind as his peers crossed the finish line. Yet, even after the stumble, Rooks is sure to come back stronger. Day 1 has only just begun, and the field is already brimming with drama—who knows what surprises lie ahead?