By Canadian Press

Decathlon champion Warner named Canada’s flag-bearer for Tokyo closing ceremony

Aug 7, 2021 | 4:19 PM

TOKYO — Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner has been named Canada’s flag-bearer for the closing ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics.

Warner won Canada’s first ever decathlon gold medal with a stellar performance across the event’s 10 disciplines, finishing with a score of 9,018 points.

Warner, from London, Ont., is the fourth decathlete in history to surpass the 9000-point mark.

He shattered the Olympic record of 8,893 points, as well as the Canadian record of 8,895 points he previously set in May of this year in Götzis, Austria. 

Warner is also the first Canadian decathlete to win multiple Olympic medals, having won bronze at Rio 2016. 

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The only other Canadian to win an Olympic medal in the decathlon is Dave Steen, who captured bronze at Seoul 1988.

Warner is the second decathlete to be honoured as a flag-bearer for Canada. Mike Smith carried the flag in the opening ceremony of the 1992 Barcelona Games. 

Women’s basketball player Miranda Ayim and Nathan Hirayama of the Canadian men’s rugby sevens team shared flag-bearer duties at the opening ceremony on July 19.

The Tokyo Games were delayed by one year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, with events held almost entirely without spectators.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2021.

The Canadian Press