Canadian Damian Warner wins gold in decathlon, sets Olympic record

TOKYO — Canadian Damian Warner has won gold and set an Olympic record in the decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics.

Warner capped off the 10-discipline event with a fifth-place finish in the 1,500 metres and became the first Canadian to win gold in the decathlon. 

The 31-year-old from London, Ont., shattered the Olympic record with 9,018 points. The previous Olympic record was 8,893 points, shared between Ashton Eaton of the United States (2016) and Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic (2004).

Warner became the fourth man in history to top the 9,000-point mark.

World record-holder Kevin Mayer of France won silver with 8,726 points while Australian Ashley Moloney took bronze with 8,649.

Canada had two men in the decathlon. Pierce LePage of Whitby, Ont., finished fifth after 10 events with a personal-best score of 8,604. 

Warner, who won bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics, was excellent from start to finish. He set Olympic decathlon records in the long jump and 110-metre hurdles, and tied his decathlon world mark in the 100 metres. He also set a personal best in the pole vault.

Warner crossed the finish line of the 1,500 metres in four minutes 31.08 seconds. The time and fifth-place finish gave him 738 points in the final event, enough for the Olympic record.

The Canadian was congratulated by several of the athletes he dominated over the course of the two days. Warner then draped himself in a Canadian flag and posed for photographers with a huge smile on his face.

The track and field community considers the Olympic decathlon winner the “world’s greatest athlete.”

Warner is also a world silver medallist.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2021.

The Canadian Press