Damien Warner Wins Canada’s First Olympic Gold Medal In Men’s Decathlon

At 31-years old, Warner is the oldest competitor in the 21-man field. 

By Maryam Razzaq

Damian Warner records the highest score in Olympic history to win Canada’s first gold medal in the men’s decathlon. 

“It’s been a long two days. When you go through the whole battle of the decathlon and finally finish and get the result you were looking for, there is no greater feeling. This is a dream come true. I’ve never been in this position when one of my dreams came true. I don’t even know how to react right now,” Warner said after winning Olympic gold. 

In the first of the ten decathlon events, Warner finished with a stunning 10.12 seconds in the 100-metres, he then followed that up with 8.24 metres in the long-jump. His performance for the 100-metres would have qualified him for the men’s 100-metre final that passed a few nights ago, and his long jump score would have won him a bronze in the men’s long jump. 

Today, Warner added to his outstanding performance with the Olympics best-time of 13.46 seconds for the 110-metre hurdles coupled with his personal best performance in the pole vault. He completed his performance by running the 1,500 metres in four minutes and 31.08 seconds which won him gold. As he crashed through the 9000-point barrier, Warner became just the fourth man in history to complete such a feat and setting the new Olympic record with 9,018 points.

With the greatest performance ever in Olympics history, Warner winning gold will go down as one of the greatest wins in Canadian Olympic history. 

“I’m just grateful. Throughout my whole career, I’ve just felt like the luckiest athlete in the world. I came from a situation where I really didn’t have any goals or dreams and lucky enough, I found coaches who believed in me and made sure I was on the right path. There were ups and downs just like every athlete has and it’s just kind of a storybook ending,” shared Warner.

Warner earned 1,123 points in the long jump, 1,066 points in the 100m, 822 points in the high jump, 1,045 points in the 110m hurdles, 934 points in the 400m, 990 points in the pole vault, 843 points in the discus throw, 738 points in the 1500m, and 790 points in the javelin throw. 

France’s Kevin Mayer was able to win the silver medal with 8,726 points, and Australia’s Ashley Moloney received the bronze medal with 8,649 points. 

Today’s win for Warner marks his second Olympic medal, as he was awarded a bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

Though fans have been unable to be physically present during competitions, Warner’s loved ones celebrated with the athlete from his hometown of London, Ontario. 

Warner finished off his statements after his exhilarating win as he shared appreciation for his supporters.

“It’s moments like that where you dream about and it was really cool to finally experience it and give him a hug, and just thank him for everything he’s done. Thank you so much people, all the people in London, Ontario, my family, my friends, Jen, little baby Theo, this is for you guys,” finished Warner.

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