Saturday 4th November 2023.- Jean-Simon Desgagnés won the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Pan American Games in Santiago 2023, earning Canada's fourth gold medal in athletics.

The North American long-distance runner delivered an impeccable performance to secure a comfortable victory, earning applause from the 40,000 spectators filling the seats at the Estadio Nacional.

In the final lap, Desgagnés created a lead of over 400 meters over his closest pursuers, allowing him to win comfortably, despite a dramatic fall in the water jump just before crossing the finish line.

The new champion of the 3,000-meter steeplechase clocked a time of 8'30"14 to stand atop the podium on the final day of athletics, where his country also celebrated in the hammer throw with a new Pan American record, thanks to Ethan Katzberg.

Second place in the 3,000 meters went to the American Daniel Michalski (8'36"47), while the bronze medal was earned by the Colombian Carlos Andrés San Martín (8'41"59), who had won silver in Lima 2019.

Chilean athlete Mauricio Valdivia finished in eleventh place (9'11"27), while the experienced Venezuelan long-distance runner José Gregorio Peña, the Pan American champion at Guadalajara 2011, finished 12th (9'17"90) in his fourth Pan American Games.

Written by Marcelo López; translated by Vicente Valdivia /Photosport
Photo by Karin Pozo / Santiago 2023 / Photosport