Damian Warner will not repeat as Commonwealth Games decathlon champion.
After building up a 223-point lead heading into the pole vault, Warner appeared to be cruising to a gold medal. Warner had an otherwise strong Day 2 of the decathlon competition, recording a 46.55 in the discus throw and topping all competitors with a 13.89-second 110m hurdles event.
.@DamianWarner continues his dominance in the decathlon and finishes first in the 110m hurdles with a time of 13.89 seconds. #GC2018 #GoldCoast2018 #GoldCoastGoldRush pic.twitter.com/Mr5dRdDKeA
— DAZN_CA (@DAZN_CA) April 10, 2018
Unfortunately for the Canadian record holder, it appeared as though he had bitten off more than he could chew in the pole vault. Warner's personal best in the event is a 4.90m set in 2016, and he set the bar at 4.50m to start.
It ended up being a fatal misjudgment, as Warner fouled all three attempts — giving the highly decorated Canadian zero points for the event and ending any realistic possibility of a medal as he sits in sixth place with just two events remaining.
SIGN UP for a FREE 30-day trial to watch Canada compete at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.
The London, Ont., native is the best decathlete Canada has ever produced and arrived on the Gold Coast as the odds-on gold medal favourite. In addition to capturing gold at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Warner's impressive career medal haul includes gold at the 2015 Pan Am Games, bronze at the 2016 Olympics, and a silver and bronze at the 2015 and 2013 World Championships, respectively.
Warner also holds two decathlon bests, in the 100m sprint and 110m hurdles.
LePage leaps into first
If 28-year-old Warner is the present of Canadian decathlon, Pierce LePage may be the future. A 22-year-old from Whitby, Ont., LePage had been nipping at Warner's heels throughout the competition. After finishing Day 1 in second place, LePage slipped to third ahead of the pole vault before his successful 4.90m effort boosted him into top spot.
LePage sits just 25 points ahead of Lindon Victor of Grenada, with the javelin (5:20 a.m. ET Tuesday) and 1500m (6:45 a.m. ET Wednesday) remaining.