Latest news with #DamianWarner
CBC
2 days ago
- General
- CBC
Canada's Damian Warner falls short of Hypo Meeting decathlon title repeat, placing 6th
It was an uncharacteristic Hypo Meeting performance in the decathlon by eight-time defending champion Damian Warner, and unfortunate end to the weekend for Canadian teammate Piercy LePage, who won in 2023. Warner, who won last year and was eyeing a record-extending ninth title at the 50th edition of the event, finished sixth with 8,527 points in Götzis, Austria. He amassed 8,678 a year ago across 10 events over two days at Mösle Stadium. LePage, who didn't compete in Götzis in 2024 and at the Paris Olympics last summer with a back injury, exited Sunday's competition when he fell after hitting a hurdle knocked down by Switzerland's Simon Ehammer. Warner moved up one spot after finishing Saturday's five events in fifth, having compiled 4,424 points from the 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400. The 35-year-old from London, Ont., sat fifth entering Sunday's 1,500 — the weekend's final event — 7,837 points, 287 behind eventual winner Sander Skotheim of Norway. Warner covered the 1,500 in four minutes 38.44 seconds, well off his 4:24.73 personal best. He opened Sunday in the 110m hurdles, placing second to Ehammer (13.57 seconds) with a season-best 13.76 in the fifth and final group. Warner holds the world-leading and meet record of 13.36. Triple-faulted in Olympic pole vault The four-time world championship medallist threw 47.34m in his first of three tries in discus for seventh before finishing 10th of 12 with a 4.70m effort in pole vault. He missed all three attempts at 4.80. Warner was fourth in Group A javelin, throwing 62.30m on his first try. He had his "worst nightmare come true" at last summer's Olympic Games in Paris, where he triple-faulted in the pole vault. LePage, who had surgery last August for a herniated disc, was 11th at the halfway mark, taking 4,315 points into Sunday's final five events. The 29-year-old from Whitby, Ont., bowed out of the competition after placing ninth of 15 in discus with a throw of 47.15. After falling in the hurdles, he was allowed a re-run and posted a time of 14.59 seconds. LePage ran 13.77 in the 2023 world decathlon in Budapest, Hungary. That was the most successful season of his career when he became the first Canadian to win a world title in decathlon. Also in 2023, LePage halted Warner's streak of seven consecutive Hypo Meeting titles for his first victory in international competition. The Hypo Meeting is the biggest multi-event competition in the world, outside of the Olympics and world championships. It's considered a measuring stick for decathletes as they prepare for the Sept. 13-21 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
CBC
3 days ago
- General
- CBC
Canadian decathletes Warner, LePage sit 7th, 11th at midway point of Hypo Meeting
If the streak of Canadian title wins at the Hypo Meeting decathlon is going to continue, Canadians Damian Warner and Pierce LePage have their work cut out for them on Day 2 of the competition. Warner, of London, Ont., sits in seventh place while and LePage, of Whitby, Ont., is in 11th at the midway point of the event in Götzis, Austria. Warner is the defending champ and an eight-time Hypo Meeting winner. The 35-year-old compiled a total of 4424 points from five events on Saturday. He sits 228 points back of leader Ayden Owens Delerme (4652) of Puerto Rico. LePage, who won the event in 2023 but is coming off of off-season back surgery, has a total of 4315 points. The Hypo Meeting is the biggest multi-event competition in the world, outside of the Olympic Games and world championships. It's considered a measuring stick for decathletes as they prepare for the world championships later this summer in Tokyo. Saturday's meet kicked off with the 100-metre sprint where Warner had the second-fastest time out of all competitors, finishing in 10.39 seconds. That result garnered him 1,001 points. LePage was 19th overall in the 100 with a time of 10.70, for a total of 929 points in the opening event. The next event was the long jump, where Warner posted a best jump of 7.51m for 937 points while LePage's 7.42m effort got him 915 points. The third event was the shot put, where LePage was awarded 806 points for a throw of 15.26m. Warner's top throw of 14.41m netted him 753 points. LePage cleared 2.03m in the high jump to take 831 points, topping Warner's mark of 2.00m and 803 points. Saturday's final event was the 400m, where Warner (47.57) bested LePage (49.59) in their heat. Warned picked up 930 points while LePage took 834.
CBC
6 days ago
- General
- CBC
Damian Warner, Pierce LePage face off in sneak preview of showdown at world championships
One of the most anticipated showdowns of this summer's World Athletics Championships will get a dress rehearsal of sorts this weekend. Decorated Canadian decathletes Damian Warner and Pierce LePage are in Götzis, Austria, for the annual Hypo Meeting combined events festival. This picturesque town nestled in the shadow of the Austrian Alps hosts the biggest multi-event competition in the world, outside of the Olympic Games and world championships. It's also one of only a handful of decathlons that Warner and LePage compete in every season. The scarcity of competition only multiplies the importance of the Hypo Meeting, especially considering how quickly both Canadians would like to put last season behind them. Warner, 35, had his "worst nightmare come true" at last summer's Olympic Games. The four-time world championship medallist and defending Olympic champion withdrew midway through competition in Paris after triple-faulting in the pole vault. "I've had some tough moments in my career, but [Paris 2024] probably ranks as one of the highest," Warner told CBC Sports in April. "You're never going to get those moments back. WATCH | #TheMoment Damian Warner broke down after pulling out of the Olympics: #TheMoment Damian Warner broke down after pulling out of the Olympics 10 months ago Duration 1:24 "But at the same time, there's a lot of things that you can learn from it and take away from it. So I want to kind of right the ship. I know that I'm better than that. And I've been trying to prove that in my training this year." LePage, 29, had the most successful season of his career in 2023, becoming the first Canadian to win a world title in decathlon. But his 2024 season was completely derailed by a back injury that caused him to miss that year's Hypo Meeting and the Paris Olympics. He's back in action after surgery in August to repair a herniated disc. "I'm the world champion. I want to defend my title," LePage said in an interview with The Canadian Press in October. "I'm sure Damian feels similar thoughts on not wanting to stop [in Paris]. "No one likes to not finish decathlon. That is definitely [the] drive to doing it again and kind of redeem ourselves, I suppose." Götzis offers a perfect setting for the Canadians to get off on the right foot as they make their way toward the world championships in Tokyo in September. They couldn't have picked a more familiar or comfortable place to start that journey. WATCH | Warner eyeing elusive world championship title in Tokyo: Damian Warner eyeing elusive world championships title in Tokyo 1 month ago Duration 5:58 Warner has won more decathlon titles in Götzis (eight) than any other person in the event's half-century history. "I've just had an amazing time every single time that I've gone [to Götzis], and it's one of those things where I'm going to do that event every single year that I can, for the rest of my career," Warner said. "It's the 50th anniversary, so I think it's going to be a really special one this year." Warner will be looking for his record-extending ninth title at the Hypo Meeting and enters as the reigning champion. Of course, that 2024 title was won without LePage in attendance. The Whitby, Ont., native halted Warner's streak of seven consecutive Hypo Meeting titles in 2023. That win in Götzis was the first international title of LePage's career and a sign of things to come, as he won world championship gold in Budapest a few months later. Warner – who is a four-time medallist at worlds but has yet to win gold – took silver in Budapest, as he did at that year's Hypo Meeting. Iron sharpens iron The decathlon is an individual competition, and the two men don't train together – but there's at least one way that LePage has helped Warner. He said LePage's rise from newcomer to world-class decathlete motivated the veteran to step his own game up. "I would say he's a different competitor than all the rest, because as a decathlete, you want to be the best in the world. be the best in the world, you have to be the best in your own country," Warner said. "For Pierce to come along at the time that he did, I think was really good for me. "As an athlete, you're like, 'OK, if I want to continue to be the best, then I'm going to have to try to find ways to get better. So he's one of those guys that pushed me in a different way than maybe some of the other competitors in the world." WATCH | Warner builds the ultimate Canadian decathlete: Olympic champion Damian Warner builds the ultimate decathlete 1 month ago Duration 4:37 Damian Warner selects his all-time list of past and present Canadian track and field stars to build the ultimate decathlete. As for those other competitors, few come as tough as Germany's Leo Neugebauer. The 24-year-old Olympic silver medallist is making his Hypo Meeting debut and should provide a stiff challenge for both Warner and LePage. The event begins on Saturday with the 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump, and 400m. Sunday will see the athletes compete in the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and finish with the 1,500m.
CBC
18-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Damian Warner turns the page on Paris and gets ready to chase an 'elusive' world title
The last time most sports fans saw Damian Warner, the Canadian decathlete was describing how his worst nightmare had come true at the Paris Olympic Games. The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion was sitting in second place after six events but fell out of contention when he failed to clear the bar on all his three attempts in the pole vault. Eight months after withdrawing from that competition, Warner says he's turned the page on Paris, but hasn't forgotten its lessons. "I feel like one of the important things about being a track athlete is having a short term memory," Warner said in a recent interview before his summer season begins. "When you have failures or things don't go your way, you have to be able to stew in that moment and just kind of be upset at yourself and kind of draw as much as you can from that performance to be better." But if he wanted to continue to be at the top of his sport, Warner says he needed to let it go. "So, I've moved on. I've tried to learn as much as I can from that situation, and now we have a new season ahead with a new goal, and that's what I'm looking forward to." That new season has two key decathlons circled, starting with the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria, on May 31. Warner will then turn his attention toward September's world championships in Tokyo. WATCH | Emotional Damian Warner speaks after pulling out of the Olympics: #TheMoment Damian Warner broke down after pulling out of the Olympics 9 months ago Duration 1:24 Olympic champion Damian Warner recounts the moment he withdrew from the men's decathlon competition after knocking down the bar on all three attempts in the pole vault. Helping him put Paris 2024 in the rearview mirror was a new addition to his family not long after returning from the Summer Games. Warner and his partner, Jen Cotten, welcomed daughter Olivia into the world, joining big brother Theo, who's now four-years-old. "You could be all upset about the competition, and you come home and you have the most beautiful thing that you've ever seen, right? And then from there, you just kind of [find that] life takes over and you move on," Warner said. "And Paris isn't something that crosses your mind on a day-to-day basis. It's cleaning up toys and playing with Lego and trying not to step on Lego and all that crazy stuff." Training camps and competitions can take Warner away from home and his family for weeks at a time. He says it's impossible to be the world's best dad while also being the world's best decathlete, but his number one priority is clear. "You go to the track and you kind of exhaust yourself, and then you come home and kids want to jump and climb all over you. But I try to make sure I have the energy because that's the priority of my life – my kids. And track comes second after that," he said. "Right now, I've struck a good balance. I have really good people in my life where I'm able to be the best athlete that I could be on the track, but also at the same time be a really good dad." Warner's preparation for this season is already underway, although it's already taken him to warmer climes than his home base in London, Ont. He just returned from a training camp in San Diego with Athletics Canada, where he saw improvements in every performance compared to his Paris results. "So at this point of the season, I'm in really good shape, [it's] just a matter of staying healthy, staying on track. And then I think we'll be in really good shape when it comes time to compete [at the world championships]." That competition in Tokyo in September is what all of this year's training and preparation will be building toward for Warner. World championship gold is the one prize that has so far eluded him over an impressive 15-year career in decathlon. A four-time medallist at worlds, Warner most recently won silver at the 2023 edition, behind fellow Canadian Pierce LePage. While Warner isn't putting any special emphasis on winning this year's event, he's conscious of its importance. "I kind of just look at it as another normal competition," he says. "As a decathlete, I only get to compete in my event maybe two to three times, max, per year. So every single competition that I do means a lot. When I go into this competition, I just want to be at my best and let the cards fall where they may. "The world championships obviously has a little bit more weight, because it's the one thing that's kind of been elusive in my career. But at the same time, I feel like I have all the tools in my toolbelt to be able to achieve that. It's just a matter of doing it on those two days of competition." But before Warner heads to Tokyo, he'll be in Austria looking for his record-extending ninth Hypo-Meeting title. "I've just had an amazing time every single time that I've gone [to Götzis], and it's one of those things where I'm going to do that event every single year that I can, for the rest of my career," Warner says. Now that he's 35, Warner has admitted that he's closer to the end than the beginning of his career. He plans to evaluate how long he wants to keep competing on a year-by-year basis, a decision he came to thanks to a little advice from one of his sports heroes. "I remember having a conversation with Vince Carter, who was one of my idols, a long time ago. I asked him 'when do you think you're going to hang it up?' And he told me 'when I'm not enjoying it anymore.' "I think that I've taken that same philosophy. I still love the sport. I'm still willing to invest all the time and the energy and the hard work that is required to perform well. At the same time, that moment where I'm having to second guess going to the track and I'm not quite enjoying it anymore, that's when I'm going to hang it up. "But that moment is not right now." WATCH | Warner eyeing elusive world championships title in Tokyo: Damian Warner eyeing elusive world championships title in Tokyo 3 hours ago Duration 5:58 The Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in decathlon, sits down with host Brittany MacLean ahead of the upcoming athletics season. What keeps Warner coming back each year is a relentless drive to be the best in the world – and being hooked on competing in decathlon. "It's like trying to do a really, really hard puzzle. You kind of get addicted to that puzzle itself." The world championships are a puzzle Warner would love to solve – not only to seize the one outstanding prize in a well-decorated career, but because it represents a do-over of sorts. Warner is no longer stewing on his Olympic disappointment, he's wants to use it to fuel his next success. "I just hope that I can go out this year and put in the performance that I was hoping to have in Paris in Tokyo."
CBC
18-04-2025
- Sport
- CBC
Olympic champion Damian Warner builds the ultimate decathlete
Damian Warner selects his all-time list of past and present Canadian track and field stars to build the ultimate decathlete.
