© Copyright – 2021 – Athletics Illustrated
Canadian decathlete, Damian Warner, pulled off the fourth-highest decathlon points total of all time as he won the World Athletics Combined Events Challenge over the weekend.
The 31-year-old broke his own Canadian record of 8,795 by amassing 8,995 points to claim his sixth win at the Hypo-Meeting in Götzis, Austria.
Fellow Canadian, Pierce LePage, finished second as he chalked up a strong 8,534 points performance. Bronze was earned by Belgium’s Thomas Van Der Plaetsen with 8,430 points.
Frenchman Kevin Mayer, holds the world record at 9,126, followed by American Ashton Eaton and Roman Šebrle of the Czech Republic, Warned sits fourth all time with his 8995 performance.
8995 points ‼️
— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 30, 2021
Only three men in history have ever scored higher in a decathlon!
Take a bow, @DamianWarner 👏 pic.twitter.com/JOMoQ40NnA
Other Canadian performances over the weekend
Vancouver’s Natalia Hawthorn, who is having the season of her life, and Kate Van Buskirk, who is enjoying a strong comeback, ran well over the weekend. Hawthorn clocked a new personal best in the 1500m with a 4:04.47 performance. The Olympic standard in the event is 4:04.20.
She shared on her Instagram account, “I’m already counting down the days before I get the chance to hit the track again, and find that extra .27 second I need, to hit Olympic standard next week at #stumptowntwilight!”
The Torontonian, Van Buskirk, nearly ran a new best in the same race finishing .01 off of her lifetime record. She clocked a 4:05.39 at Griswold Stadium.
The 10,000m at Portland
Kenyan, Caroline Kipkirui, won the women’s 10,000m in the time of 31:44.06. Kenyan, Risper Gesabwa, who runs for Mexico finished second in the time of 31:48.07. American Molly Seidel set a new best when she crossed the line third in the time of 32:02.19.
The 26-year-old Kipkirui owns a best of 31:16.38 the Tokyo Olympic Standard is 31:25. For Gesabwa, it was a new best improving on her own 31:59 from 2019.
If anyone is interested in what is going on with American marathon runner Galen Rupp, he showed up at the meet to finish fourth in the 10,000m in the time of 28:00.37. It’s a far cry from his 2012 London Olympic silver medal performance at the distance, but was a strong showing after a rough go after his coach Alberto Salazar was banned during the 2019 Doha World Athletics Championships. He owns the national record at 26:44.36.
The winner of the men’s race was Japan’s Suguru Osaka in the time of 27:56.44. He ran the second section as well, finishing in the time of 29:04:28 for second place, which was won by Acer Iverson in the time of 29:04.00 – new best too.
Full results available soon.