Canadian Damian Warner leads midway through Commonwealth Games decathlon

GOLD COAST, Australia – Defending champion Damian Warner led Canadian teammate Pierce LePage after the first day of the decathlon at the Commonwealth Games.

Warner opened with his season-best 10.29 in the 100, threw a personal best 15:11 metres in the shot put, recorded 7.54 metres in the long jump and a season-best 2.04 meters in the high jump. He capped off Day 1 by winning his 400 in 48.12 for a total of 4,509 points.

LePage, from Whitby, Ont., was 129 points behind.

Warner, a 28-year-old from London, Ont., who now makes his home in Calgary, said he was content with his performance across the first day and didn’t rule out a shot at the games record.

“I’ll come out tomorrow and start with the hurdles and if it’s there when it comes down to the 1,500 — I’ll go for it,” said the Olympic bronze medallist.

Warner is coming off a second-place heptathlon showing at the world indoor championships in Birmingham, England, losing to France’s Kevin Mayer by just five points despite setting a Canadian indoor record of 6,343 points.

Also Monday, Canadian Tim Nedow won bronze in the shot put. The 27-year-old from Brockville threw a season-best 20.91 metres to finish behind New Zealand’s Thomas Walsh (21.41) and Nigeria’s Chukwuebuka Enekwechi (21.14).

Defending champion O’Dayne Richards of Jamaica was fourth (20.80).