Hurdles performance puts Damian Warner in position at Olympic decathlon

PARIS — Damian Warner of London, Ont., has moved from fourth place into the lead in men's decathlon after today's 110-metre hurdles event at the Paris Olympics.

Warner completed the event in 13.62 seconds, gaining him 1,024 point, vaulting the Canadian into gold-medal position after six events.

The Canadian decathlete scored the fastest time in the hurdles event among all competitors, with the closet being Ken Mullings of the Bahamas, with 13.7 seconds.

Warner's closest competitors for the overall event — Germany's Leo Neugebauer, Puerto Rico's Ayden Owens-Delerme and Norway's Sander Skotheim — finished in 14.51 seconds, 14.09 seconds and 14.15 seconds respectively.

After the hurdles, Warner sits at 5,585 points, ahead of Owens-Delerme with 5,571 points and Neugebauer at 5,560 points.

Neugebauer had held the top spot on the leaderboard with 4,650 points entering today, with Owens-Delerme (4,608) and Skotheim (4,588) close behind, all in front of Warner.

The 34-year-old Warner set an Olympic record of 9,018 points in Tokyo three years ago and is fighting to retain his gold medal in Paris.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.