Damian Warner wins 2021 Lou Marsh Award

Damian Warner (Samuel Blanck, Wikimedia Commons)

Canadian Olympic gold medalist Damian Warner of London, Ontario has won the 2021 Lou Marsh Award according to Jesse Campigotto of CBC Sports  on Thursday. Warner won the gold medal at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 in the men’s decathlon with an Olympic record total of 9018 points.

Warner became only the fourth decathlete ever to reach 9000 points in a decathlon competition. He followed Kevin Mayer of France, Ashton Eaton of the United States, and Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic.

In the men’s decathlon in Tokyo, Warner won the men’s 100 metres, long jump, and the men’s 110 metre hurdle events. He set a world record for decathlon athletes in the men’s 100 metres with a time of 10.12 seconds and Olympic records for the decathlon in the long jump and 110 metre hurdles. Warner had a jump of 8.24 metres, and a 110 metre hurdle time of 13.46 seconds. Warner’s jump of 8.24 metres would have been good enough to win the Olympic bronze medal in the men’s long jump competition.

In addition to winning Olympic decathlon gold, Warner won a record sixth Hypo-Meeting in Gotzis, Austria. There he set world records among decathletes in the men’s 110 metre hurdles (13.36 seconds) and the men’s long jump (8.28 metres).

Warner becomes the seventh Canadian track and field athlete to win the Lou Marsh Award. He follows Phil Edwards of Montreal, Quebec in 1936 (bronze medalist in the men’s 800 metres at the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin),  Bob McFarlane of London, Ontario in 1950 (had five Canadian track and field records including the men’s 400 metres), middle distance runner Bruce Kidd of Ottawa, Ontario in 1961 (won two-mile indoor race in Boston), Bill Crothers of Markham, Ontario in 1963 (set the world indoor record in the men’s 800 metres in San Francisco), Ben Johnson of Toronto, Ontario in 1986 and 1987 (Goodwill Games gold medalist and Commonwealth Games gold medalist in the 100 metres in 1986, and original world champion in the 100 metres in 1987), and Donovan Bailey of Oakville, Ontario (gold in the men’s 100 metres and 4×100 metre relay at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta).

 

Written by 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *