Each 4 years, the Canada Summer season Video games (CSG) showcase among the nation’s greatest 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 remaining. 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 remaining 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 Crew Quebec. Podbielski, thrown off stability, was left shocked on the end for silver.
“I felt I had the within lane and he tried to overhaul me in a niche that simply wasn’t there,” Podbielski instructed Canadian Working. “When he got here up beside me, there was numerous contact, and it brought about me to journey up and lose my momentum.”
Crew Saskatchewan instantly reviewed the footage and filed an official protest. However after an intensive overview, 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 manner that impacts their efficiency is grounds for disqualification.”
Lefebvre defended his determination to make the transfer inside, believing there was house accessible. “I made a last-second determination to take the within as an alternative of the skin, 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 received the Canadian U20 1,500m title earlier this summer time in Ottawa, whereas Podbielski accomplished a uncommon U20 double in 2023, profitable each the 800m and 1,500m.
Regardless of the drama, the 2 athletes share mutual respect: “Though I’d 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 model,” 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 received gold in his 5,000m debut, whereas Lefebvre took the silver for Crew Quebec within the 800m.
For full outcomes from athletics on the 2025 Canada Summer season Video games, see right here.
