Jean-Simon Desgagnés smashes personal best in World Championship steeplechase final

In his first world championship final, Jean-Simon Desgagnés did not shy away from the spotlight. The Quebec native ran to a two-second personal best of 8:15.58 in the men’s steeplechase final, securing eighth place at the 2023 World Athletics Championships.

After placing second in the heats last Saturday, Desgagnés was confident that he was in personal best shape for the final. The 26-year-old shared the lead in the first 1,000m and was part of the group of eight runners contending for the podium with three laps to go.

Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali sprinted to victory over his rival, Ethiopia’s Lamecha Girma, in the final 200m, successfully defending his world title in 8:03.53. Girma finished two seconds behind El Bakkali in 8:05.54. Kenya’s Abraham Kibiwott won the bronze in 8:11.98.

Desgagnés stated that his performance far exceeded his world championships goal. “Coming in, I wanted to make the final,” says Desgagnés. “I knew anything could happen, and I just tried to be competitive and in the mix for as long as I could—that’s what I did.”

“To be here with Bakkali and Girma—it’s crazy to me,” says Desgagnés in disbelief. “Being in the top eight means I can maybe be top five or hopefully reach the podium one day. It feeds me more momentum for years to come.”

Arop and Harrison steer into their semifinals

The world’s top-ranked 800m runner, Marco Arop, made a statement in his opening heat at the 2023 World Athletics Championships. Arop cruised at the back for the opening lap. He took over the lead with 300 metres to go and never looked back, taking the win and advancing to Thursday’s semi-final in 1:45.05.

High-five(ing) into the semis ✅

Photo: @James_Athletics #WABudapest #TeamCanada pic.twitter.com/mfPEXV5w5w

— Canadian Running (@CanadianRunning) August 22, 2023

“You train for moments like this, so it looks easy sometimes,” says Arop. The effort felt so easy to him that he had time to give a low-five to Italy’s Simone Barontini before crossing the finish line. Barontini placed second in the heat in 1:45.21.

When asked about the exchange, Arop replied, “He’s an awesome guy! We met this week and became friends.”

Saskatoon’s Michelle Harrison is also advancing to the semi-final in her event. Harrison finished sixth in a speedy first heat of the women’s 100m hurdles, in 12.88 seconds. Despite a rocky first 20 metres, Harrison battled back to finish strongly as one of the fastest non-automatic qualifiers.

Harrison will compete again Wednesday night in the semi-final, aiming to advance to her first world final.

The 2023 World Athletics Championships are taking place from August 19-27 at the National Stadium in Budapest, Hungary. All the action will be brought to you by Canadian Running and Asics Canada. Follow us on Twitter on Instagram for all things Team Canada and up-to-date exclusive news and content.