It was a tense few minutes after the third and final heat of the men’s 3,000m steeplechase at the Paris Olympic Games on Monday, as officials figured out who would advance and who would not; but ultimately Jean-Simon Desgagnés of Quebec City claimed the fifth spot in his heat, squeaking through to the final. There were no non-automatic, time-based qualifiers in the event, and no repechage. Desgagné’s time was 8:25:28; his qualification came down to three one-hundredths of a second.
Desgagnés was in good company. World record holder Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia, one of the favourites to win the event, won the heat; Desgagnés positioned himself well from the start, moving between fourth and sixth position for much of the race, which involves 28 barriers and seven water jumps over three kilometres of track. New Zealand’s Geordie Beamish, this year’s world indoor champion over 1,500m, was also in Heat 3, but finished seventh, meaning his competition is over.
“I came here to be in the final,” Desgagnés said after the race, “but it’s never easy. That’s why I train–to make the most of these tough moments.”
Jean-Simon Desgagnés 🇨🇦 secured a spot in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase final by three one hundredths of a second…
He says it was closer than he would’ve liked but all that matters is that he is moving on ⏩#athletics #teamcanada #paris2024 pic.twitter.com/avJDp7okV1
— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) August 5, 2024
The race kicked off with the double world champion and defending Olympic champion, Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco, setting the pace in heat 1, which he won in 8:17.90.
Desgagnés, who just turned 26, is the Pan American Games champion and Canadian national champion in the 3,000m steeplechase. This is his second Olympic Games; he finished eighth at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.
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Athletics events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games are taking place from Aug. 1-11. Today’s coverage is brought to you by Canadian Running and New Balance Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.
