Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner will carry Canada’s flag at the closing ceremony on Sunday evening to finish off the Tokyo Olympics.
The London, Ont., native is fresh off winning gold in one of the Olympics oldest events, and his 9,018 points set a new Olympic record.
His story in the lead-up to Tokyo was particularly inspiring since during the pandemic, with many sport facilities closed in Canada, the world-class decathlete trained through the winter in an old hockey arena. His hometown community in London rallied to help refashion cold Farquharson Arena into a makeshift decathlon training facility for him, complete with the pits and track he needed to keep fit while many of his competitors around the world kept training as usual.
In his third Olympic Games, the 31-year-old was following up a bronze medal performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
He was announced Sunday morning in Tokyo in a virtual press conference, already dressed in his Team Canada closing ceremony jean jacket. He said he got goosebumps when Canada’s chef de mission Marnie McBean asked him to take on the job.
“This honour could have gone to anyone on the team – there were so many great performances at these Games,” said Warner. “It’s the honour of my lifetime to represent these athletes at the closing ceremony.”
Olympic decathlon gold medal winner Damian Warner of Canada. Warner has made history as Canada’s first Olympic decathlon champion. His final score of 9018 points is an Olympic record and a Canadian record. This is the first time Warner has surpassed the 9000-point mark, becoming just the fourth decathlete in history to do so.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
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Damian Warner of Canada recovers after the 1500m event in the decathlon. Poland's Pawel Wiesiolek, who placed 12th, congratulates the gold medal winner on Thursday August 5, 2021.Melissa Tait/The Globe and Mail
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Damian Warner, of Canada, is congratulated by compatriot Pierce Lepage, right, after he won the gold medal for the decathlon at the Tokyo Olympics. Lepage placed fifth in his Olympic debut with a personal best score of 8604.David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
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Decathlon athletes pose for a group photo after competing in the finals. Pictured in the centre is Canadian gold medal winner Damian Warner, to the left, silver medalist Kevin Mayer of France and, to the right, bronze medalist Ashley Moloney of Australia.FABRIZIO BENSCH/Reuters
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The decathlon began on Thursday with the 110m hurdles. From left, Felipe Dos Santos of Brazil, Damian Warner of Canada and Garrett Scantling of the United States in action during heat three.PHIL NOBLE/Reuters
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After the hurdles, Damian Warner, of Canada, placed third in the discus throw at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.David J. Phillip/The Associated Press
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A couple hours later, Canada's Damian Warner jumped to a personal best in the pole vault at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday August 5, 2021.Matthias Schrader/The Associated Press
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Damian Warner of Canada in action during the men's javelin throw on August 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics. Warner put up one of his best throws in the javelin throw. He lead the decathlon competition with more than 200 points going into the 1500 metre race.KAI PFAFFENBACH/Reuters
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Canada's Damian Warner competes in the men's decathlon 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday August 5, 2021. With his finish of 4 minutes 31.08 seconds, he clinched the gold medal.BEN STANSALL/Getty Images
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Damian Warner of Team Canada cools off by dousing himself with water after winning the gold medal in the decathlon on day thirteen of the Tokyo Olympics.Christian Petersen/Getty Images
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Laurence Vincent-Lapointe of Team Canada competes during the women's canoe single 200m semifinal on Thursday August 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics.Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
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Canadian silver medallist's Laurence Vincent-Lapointe celebrates on the podium following her win in the women's canoe single 200m final on August 5, 2021 at Sea Forest Waterway in Tokyo. The 29-year-old paddler from Trois-Rivieres, Que., finished the sprint in a time of 46.786 seconds, behind America's Nevin Harrison.LUIS ACOSTA/Getty Images
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Shanne Braspennincx of Team Netherlands crosses the line to win the gold medal as Ellesse Andrews of Team New Zealand, left, wins silver and Lauriane Genest of Team Canada wins bronze, during the track cycling women's keirin at the Tokyo Olympics.Christophe Ena/The Associated Press
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Women's keirin track cycling gold medallist Shanne Braspennincx of the Netherlands, centre, celebrates on the podium with silver medallist Ellesse Andrews of New Zealand, left, and bronze medallist Lauriane Genest of Canada, right, on Thursday August 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics.MATTHEW CHILDS/Reuters
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Canada’s Andre De Grasse, from Markham, Ont., puts on his first gold medal won in the men's 200m race during the medal ceremony at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday, August 5, 2021.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
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Canada's Georgia Ellenwood competes in the women's heptathlon javelin throw during the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday August 5, 2021.INA FASSBENDER/AFP/Getty Images
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Georgia Ellenwood of Canada is pushed away in a wheelchair by medical staff after competing in the women's heptathlon 800m event on Thursday August 5, 2021 at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.LUCY NICHOLSON/Reuters
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Athletes lay on the track after a heat in the women's heptathlon 800 metre at the Tokyo Olympics.Morry Gash/The Associated Press
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Nafissatou Thiam of Team Belgium reacts after winning the gold medal in the women's heptathlon alongside Annie Kunz of Team United States on day thirteen of the Tokyo Olympics.David Ramos/Getty Images
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Meaghan Benfeito of Team Canada competes in the women's 10m platform diving semifinal on day thirteen of the Tokyo Olympics. Benfeito finished in 13th place, one spot away from qualifying for the finals.Clive Rose/Getty Images
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Team Canada women's water polo members react during a match against Australia at the Tatsumi Water Polo Centre in Tokyo on Thursday August 5, 2021.GONZALO FUENTES/Reuters
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Australia's Keesja Gofers, left, passes the ball over Canada's Axelle Crevier during a classification round of women's water polo on Thursday August 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics. Australia won the match.Mark Humphrey/The Associated Press
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Athletes, including Team Canada, compete in round one of the men's 4 x 100m relay heats on Thursday at the Tokyo Olympics.David Ramos/Getty Images
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Wu Zhiqiang of China in action on his way to winning heat 2 of the men's 4 x 100m relay ahead of Italy's Filippo Tortu and Andre De Grasse of Canada at Olympic Stadium in Tokyo. Team Canada finished second, two thousandths of a second behind China.DYLAN MARTINEZ/Reuters
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The Canadian men’s relay team featuring Andre De Grasse, Aaron Brown, Brendon Rodney and Jerome Blake. The team finished their heat second, just two-thousandths of a second behind China, with a time of 37.918 seconds. De Grasse anchored the men's team and was in fifth when he took the baton, the five-time Olympic medallist nearly powered the team to first with his final leg.FABRIZIO BENSCH/Reuters
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Nicole Yeargin of Team Great Britain and Kyra Constantine of Team Canada, far right, lead in the women's 4 x 400m relay heats on day thirteen of the Tokyo Olympics.MICHAEL STEELE/Getty Images
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Madeline Price, Alicia Brown, Kyra Constantine and Lauren Gale of Team Canada wait for results after a women's 4 x 400m relay heat at the Tokyo Olympics. Team Canada placed fifth advancing to the finals.David Ramos/Getty Images
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Anicka Newell of Canada competes in the women's pole vault final at the Tokyo Olympics on Thursday.DYLAN MARTINEZ/Reuters
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Canada's Alena Sharp tees off from the first tee in round one of the women's golf individual stroke play on Thursday August 5, 2021 at the Tokyo Olympics.YOSHI IWAMOTO/AFP
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Brooke Henderson of Team Canada plays her shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the women's individual stroke play on August 5, 2021 at Kasumigaseki Country Club in Kawagoe, Japan.Chris Trotman/Getty Images
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Rachel Brady