Damian Warner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Damian Warner

Warner at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics
Personal information
Born	(1989-11-04) November 4, 1989 (age 35) London, Ontario, Canada
Height	184 cm
Weight	83 kg
Sport
Country	Canada
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Decathlon
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Decathlon: 9,018 NR (2021) Hepthalon: 6,489 NR (2022)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing  Canada Olympic Games Gold 2020 Tokyo Decathlon Bronze 2016 Rio de Janeiro Decathlon World Championships Silver 2015 Beijing Decathlon Silver 2023 Budapest Decathlon Bronze 2013 Moscow Decathlon Bronze 2019 Doha Decathlon World Indoor Championships Gold 2022 Belgrade Heptathlon Silver 2018 Birmingham Heptathlon Commonwealth Games Gold 2014 Glasgow Decathlon Pan American Games Gold 2015 Toronto Decathlon Gold 2019 Lima Decathlon
Updated on August 4, 2024.

Damian David George Warner (born November 4, 1989) is a Canadian track and field athlete. He is famous for competing in the decathlon, a tough event with ten different challenges. Damian is an Olympic champion from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. He has also won four medals at the World Athletics Championships. These include silver medals in 2015 and 2023, and bronze medals in 2013 and 2019.

Damian also earned a bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. He was the champion at the 2014 Commonwealth Games and won two Pan American Games titles in 2015 and 2019. In a different event called the heptathlon, he became the 2022 World Indoor champion. Damian holds the Olympic, Pan Am Games, and Canadian records for the decathlon. His score of 9,018 points is the fourth highest in history. He is known for his fast running, holding decathlon bests in the 100-meter and 110-meter hurdles.

Damian Warner's Athletic Journey

Starting Out in Sports

Damian Warner was born on November 4, 1989, in London, Ontario, Canada. He first showed his amazing athletic skills in high school. He played football and basketball. By the age of 20, he was already winning medals in decathlon. He earned a silver medal at the 2010 Canadian championships.

Damian kept getting better each year. He won the national championships in 2011 and 2012. Even though his score in 2012 was just below the Olympic standard, he was chosen to represent Canada. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, he finished fifth. This was a huge improvement for him.

Winning His First World Medal in 2013

In 2013, Damian won the Hypo Meeting, a big decathlon competition. He set new personal bests in the high jump and javelin throw. Later that year, he competed at the 2013 World Championships in Athletics. He worked hard on the second day of the event. He tied a personal best in pole vault and threw his best in javelin. This helped him win a bronze medal. It was the first time a Canadian had won a decathlon medal at the World Championships since 1995.

Commonwealth Games Champion in 2014

Damian competed in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland. He won the decathlon event with a score of 8,282 points. This was his first decathlon of the year because he had an ankle injury. Despite the injury, he set a new Games record in the 100-meter sprint. He also set a personal best in the 400-meter race.

Double Success in 2015

In 2015, Damian competed at the 2015 Pan American Games in his home country, Canada. He was the favorite to win. He broke both the Canadian national and Pan Am Games records. He scored 8,626 points, beating a record that had stood since 1996.

Just one month later, at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, Damian set another national record. He scored 8,695 points and won a silver medal. He finished second to Ashton Eaton, who set a new world record.

Olympic Bronze in 2016

Warner (left) running in the 1,500 m at the 2016 Summer Olympics.

At the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Damian started strong. He was in second place after the first day. On the second day, he won the 110-meter hurdles. He then secured his third-place position with a good javelin throw. He earned the bronze medal, becoming only the second Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the decathlon.

Challenges and Comebacks

In 2017, Damian competed at the 2017 IAAF World Championships. He faced a challenge when he got sick with a virus. This affected his performance, and he finished fifth.

At the 2018 Commonwealth Games, Damian was expected to win. He was leading after seven events. However, he had trouble in the pole vault and did not clear any height. This caused him to drop to sixth place, and he decided to stop competing. After this disappointment, he bounced back. He won his fourth Hypo-Meeting event and set a new Canadian record.

More Medals in 2019

In May 2019, Damian won his fifth Hypo-Meeting title. He broke his own record for the fastest 100-meter sprint in a decathlon. He also set a new personal best in the shot put.

Damian then competed at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima. He successfully defended his 2015 title, winning gold again. He finished far ahead of the silver medalist. Another Canadian decathlete, Pierce LePage, won the bronze medal.

Damian finished his 2019 season at the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha. He won his third World Championship medal, a bronze. The COVID-19 pandemic then caused many competitions to be canceled. This meant Damian did not compete for almost two years.

Olympic Gold in 2021

The pandemic brought new challenges for Damian's training. His usual facilities were closed. So, he and his coaches turned an old arena into a training space. This time away from competition also helped his ankle injuries heal.

Damian returned to competition at the 2021 Hypo-Meeting. He became the first man to win six titles at this event. He set a new decathlon best in the long jump. He also set a new personal and national record with 8,995 points. He was very close to scoring 9,000 points, a rare achievement.

At the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Damian was a top contender for gold. On the first day, he set an Olympic record in the 100-meter sprint. He also set another Olympic record in the long jump. He finished the first day in first place. On the second day, he set his third Olympic record in the 110-meter hurdles. He continued to perform well in the discus throw and pole vault. Going into the final event, the 1500-meter race, he had a strong lead. Damian finished fifth in the 1500-meter race. This secured his gold medal and made him the fourth decathlete in history to score over 9,000 points. His final score was 9,018 points, a new Olympic record.

After his amazing win, Damian was chosen to be Canada's flag bearer for the Olympics closing ceremony. He later said he hoped to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. At the end of 2021, he received two major awards in Canada. He won the Lionel Conacher Award as the top male athlete. He also won the Lou Marsh Trophy for Canada's top athlete.

World Indoor Gold in 2022

In March 2022, Damian competed in the 2022 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Belgrade. He felt a bit unwell before the competition. But after working with his team, he felt ready. He set new personal bests in the 60-meter sprint, 60-meter hurdles, and long jump. He won the gold medal with a new national record score.

Later in 2022, Damian won his seventh Hypo-Meeting title. He had to withdraw from the 2022 World Athletics Championships due to a hamstring injury. He was leading the competition at the time.

World Silver in 2023

In April 2023, Damian suffered a hip injury. This affected his performance at the 2023 Hypo-Meeting, where he finished second. He took a break to recover.

At the 2023 World Athletics Championships, Damian started strong. He finished first in the 100-meter sprint. He ended the first day in third place. On the second day, he won the hurdles event. He eventually won his fourth World Championship medal, a silver. His Canadian teammate, Pierce LePage, won the gold medal.

Paris Olympics in 2024

Before the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, Damian competed at the 2024 Hypo-Meeting. He won his eighth title at this event.

At the Paris Olympics, Damian was one of the oldest decathletes at 34. He performed well in the first seven events. He was in second place. However, he failed to clear his opening height in the pole vault. This meant he could no longer win a medal. Damian chose not to compete in the final two events.

Championship Results

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing  Canada
2011	NACAC Combined Events Championships	Kingston	2nd	Decathlon	7760 points
	World Championships	Daegu	18th	Decathlon	7832 points
2012	Olympic Games	London	5th	Decathlon	8442 points
2013	World Championships	Moscow	3rd	Decathlon	8512 points
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot	7th	Heptathlon	6129 points
	Pan American Combined Events Cup	Ottawa	—	Decathlon	DNF
	Commonwealth Games	Glasgow	1st	Decathlon	8282 points
2015	Pan American Games	Toronto	1st	Decathlon	8659 points
	World Championships	Beijing	2nd	Decathlon	8695 points
2016	Olympic Games	Rio	3rd	Decathlon	8666 points
2017	World Championships	London	5th	Decathlon	8309 points
2018	World Indoor Championships	Birmingham	2nd	Heptathlon	6343 pts
	Commonwealth Games	Gold Coast	—	Decathlon	DNF
2019	Pan American Games	Lima	1st	Decathlon	8513 points
	World Championships	Doha	3rd	Decathlon	8529 points
2021	Olympic Games	Tokyo	1st	Decathlon	9018 points
2022	World Indoor Championships	Belgrade	1st	Heptathlon	6489 points
	World Championships	Eugene	—	Decathlon	DNF
2023	World Championships	Budapest	2nd	Decathlon	8804 points
2024	Olympic Games	Paris	—	Decathlon	DNF

Personal Best Scores

Outdoor Events

Indoor Events

Personal Life

Damian Warner and his partner, Jennifer Cotten, became parents to a son named Theo in March 2021. Jennifer was also a talented athlete who competed in hurdles.

See also

In Spanish: Damian Warner para niños