Each 4 years, the Canada Summer time Video games (CSG) showcase among the nation’s finest rising expertise. And when provincial delight is on the road, the competitors can get heated.
That was the case within the males’s 1,500m last. Saskatchewan’s Jonathan Podbielski was poised to win gold for the Prairie province when a late bump with Quebec’s Robin Lefebvre modified the end result. Lefebvre surged alongside the within within the last 100 metres, attempting to squeeze right into a slender hole. The 2 runners tangled, with Lefebvre falling however managing to cross the road first to assert gold for Workforce Quebec. Podbielski, thrown off stability, was left surprised on the end for silver.
“I felt I had the within lane and he tried to overhaul me in a spot that simply wasn’t there,” Podbielski advised Canadian Working. “When he got here up beside me, there was loads of contact, and it brought on me to journey up and lose my momentum.”
Workforce Saskatchewan instantly reviewed the footage and filed an official protest. However after a radical assessment, CSG officers dominated that the incident didn’t represent a clear violation of World Athletics Rule 17.3, which states: “impeding, jostling, or obstructing one other runner in a method that impacts their efficiency is grounds for disqualification.”
Lefebvre defended his choice to make the transfer inside, believing there was house obtainable. “I made a last-second choice to take the within as an alternative of the surface, and as quickly as I made the transfer, he began to shut the hole—which is why I ended up falling,” Lefebvre recalled.
The end line collision concerned two of Canada’s quickest younger middle-distance runners. Lefebvre gained the Canadian U20 1,500m title earlier this summer season in Ottawa, whereas Podbielski accomplished a uncommon U20 double in 2023, successful each the 800m and 1,500m.
Regardless of the drama, the 2 athletes share mutual respect: “Though I might have favored to see what the end result would have been in a contactless race, Robin is a hell of a competitor and I respect his fierce operating fashion,” stated Podbielski. “Congrats to him!”
Each males went on so as to add extra {hardware} on the Video games in St. John’s, N.L. Podbielski gained gold in his 5,000m debut, whereas Lefebvre took the silver for Workforce Quebec within the 800m.
For full outcomes from athletics on the 2025 Canada Summer time Video games, see right here.