Day one of the World Championships was nothing short of a rollercoaster for the track and field world, with  Canada collecting medals, the Kenyan 4x400m relay team’s shocking DQ, and drama at every turn. But what truly stole the spotlight was Jean-Simon Desgagné’s fall in the 3000m steeplechase. And as if fated, history repeated itself on day two. In the women’s 1500m semifinal, Freweyni Hailu went crashing down, her momentum shattered as she stumbled near the cut-in line. But here’s the twist: she didn’t give up. So what exactly happened? Let’s break it down as the track and field fans enjoy the dramatic turn in Tokyo.

As the women’s 1500m semifinal 1 began, the field settled into rhythm, but Ethiopia’s Freweyni Hailu faced early drama. Just 150m in, while leading, she was clipped by a Spanish runner and tumbled to the track. Refusing to give in, Hailu sprang back up, regained her composure, and launched a furious chase. With grit and speed, she surged past the field, finishing third behind Faith Kipyegon(4:00.34s) and Dorcus Ewoi(4:00.65) in a blistering 4:01.03s. Despite the fall, she not only completed the race but also secured her spot in the final. How incredible is that!

Well, we should remind you that this is not the first time that Hailu has suffered such a fate. Back at the Brussels Diamond League 2025 last month, the Ethiopian star was a favorite to finish the race, but she suffered a dramatic fall just past the halfway point. How? Focused on her path, she tangled with Sinclaire Johnson around the 800m mark, both crashing to the track, a moment that shocked the spectators as both of them were frontrunners for a podium finish. While Johnson managed to rise and push on, Hailu’s race was over, marked as a DNF on the results sheet. But this time, she sprang back up and finished third in Tokyo!

Remember, Hailu wasn’t the only one affected by 1500m drama. In the women’s 1500m semifinal heat 2, Marta Zenoni and Nele Webel were involved in a clash—though the exact moment wasn’t clear. It seemed like their shoulders brushed against each other, after which Webel lost her balance. Although she didn’t fall, but it broke her momentum and pushed her right to the back of the pack. After the race, Zenoni was disqualified, while Webel advanced to the finals after a decision from the referee. Naturally, this dramatic turn of events sparked a flurry of reactions from fans. Let’s dive into what they had to say.

Fans react as Freweyni Hailu nearly misses out on the finals

The women’s 1500m prelims at the World Athletics Championships delivered a dramatic reminder that in middle-distance racing, nobody is truly safe. A fact that was keenly felt by Freweyni Hailu after she was tripped early in the race. “The way Hailu fell from the front, nobody is safe lmao,” wrote one fan. Another added, “The only deterrent against everyone dogging in the middle distance prelims is the threat of a collision and fall.” 

It’s certainly not an exaggeration considering the 1500 m event has seen its fair share of falls and stumbles. At the Tokyo Olympics, we had Olympic gold medalist Sifan Hassan, who fell in the heats but picked herself back up and eventually made it to the final, securing bronze. And at the U.S. Track and Field Championships earlier this year, Helen Schlachtenhaufen stumbled into the lead pack and slammed into the ground, drawing blood.

Though Hailu escaped unscathed, one fan noted that this wasn’t the first time the Ethiopian lost her footing in a race. “Hailu again. Man,” read the comment. It was perhaps the experience of falling and DNFing in Brussels last month that pushed Hailu to get back up and keep fighting this time.

And one fan was simply left in awe of the depth of her unwavering determination. “Hailu… What a woman Despite getting tripped.”  Another fan chipped in with a sarcastic dig at the rest of the field, who weren’t able to capitalize on Hailu’s fall, allowing her to finish in third. “It was nice for the pack to slow down and wait for Hailu to catch up after she fell,” read the comment.

With her spot in the final secure, everyone’s wondering—how far could she have gone if she hadn’t stumbled at the start? Well, we might get the answer in the final, but until then, we’ll have to wait.