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Pierce LePage

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Pierce LePage
Personal information
Born (1996-01-22) January 22, 1996 (age 28)
Whitby, Ontario, Canada
Height204 cm (6 ft 8 in)[1]
Weight88 kg (194 lb)[1]
Sport
SportTrack
EventDecathlon
Coached byGregory Portnoy
Achievements and titles
Highest world ranking1st (2023)[2]
Personal bestDecathlon: 8909 (Budapest 2023)
Medal record
Men's athletics
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Budapest Decathlon
Silver medal – second place 2022 Eugene Decathlon
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2018 Gold Coast Decathlon
Pan American Games
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Lima Decathlon

Pierce LePage (born January 22, 1996) is a Canadian track athlete who competes in the decathlon.[1] He is the 2023 World champion, and the first Canadian to win the decathlon title at the World Athletics Championships. LePage is also the 2022 World silver medalist, 2018 Commonwealth silver medallist, and 2019 Pan American bronze medallist. LePage represented Canada at the 2020 Summer Olympics, finishing in fifth place.

Career

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Early years and Commonwealth silver (2015–18)

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Starting track and field at the age of 12 and the decathlon at the age of 17, LePage emerged as a star athlete in 2015 after breaking the Canadian junior decathlon record. LePage then gained funding through the RBC Training Ground talent identification program in 2016.[3] That same year he attended the Décastar meet, and scored above 8000 points for the first time.[1] In 2017, LePage attended the Hypo-Meeting for the first time, finishing in seventeenth position, and then won the NACAC Combined Events Championships. Domestically, he won the decathlon event at the 2017 Canadian Track and Field Championships, albeit in the absence of then-reigning Olympic bronze medalist Damian Warner.[4]

LePage was named to the Canadian team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games taking place in Gold Coast, Australia. In his first major championship appearance, he unexpectedly drew major media attention in his home country when teammate Warner, who led the event until midway through the second day, was triple-faulted in the pole vault and withdrew from the event. LePage then became the focus of the country's medal hopes and scored a personal best 8,171 points to win the silver medal behind Lindon Victor of Grenada. After his podium finish, LePage said that "for me, this is a huge stepping stone going from local competitions to a big event like the Commonwealth Games."[5] He credited Warner for his support, calling him "someone to talk to, lean on if you need help and at Commonwealth he was helpful — I probably couldn't have a won a silver medal without him there because he's a great leader by example."[6] However, the remainder of his season was derailed by UCL and hamstring injuries, the latter sustained in an attempted comeback at the Décastar.[1]

World Championship and Olympic debuts (2019–21)

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In June of the 2019 season, LePage scored 8453 points to win the Décastar meeting in Talence, France, obtaining the qualifying standard for both the Olympics and World Championships.[1] Named to the Canadian team for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima alongside Warner, he was second in the standings after the first day of competition, with Warner in first.[6] He dropped to third on the second day, surpassed by Grenada's Victor, and won the bronze medal. LePage noted that he was dealing with a knee injury he had incurred at the national championships earlier.[7] He then made his World Championship debut at the 2019 edition in Doha, and finished fifth in the decathlon event with a score of 8445. As at the Pan American Games, he was in second place after the first day but ultimately dropped off the podium in the final two events, the javelin throw and the 1500 metres. He admitted afterward to being "a bit frustrated because of so many things that could've gone much better, but it's my first world championships, so what can you do."[8] His high scores across the season lead to his placing third in the seasonal IAAF Combined Events Challenge.[1]

Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo were delayed by a full year, and training became difficult with many facilities shut down. LePage noted that he was "training in a random field outside my house for about a year. Just running. I didn't pole vault for a year, didn’t do high jump, long jump."[9] LePage was named to his first Olympic team when the time came.[10][11][12] Prior to the Games he participated in the 2021 Hypo-Meeting and won the silver medal behind Warner, setting new personal bests in the 100 metres, the 110 metres hurdles, and 1500 metres.[1] Competing in Tokyo, LePage was in third place after the first day of the decathlon, though he noted that he was "going through some stuff" that impacted his ability to do the high jump.[13] A year later he would later reveal that he had been competing through a torn patella tendon, saying "I don't like having excuses. It was an experience I will never forget, and I learned from it." He ultimately finished in fifth place, though he achieved a new personal best mark.[14]

World silver and gold (2022–present)

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LePage attended the 2022 Hypo-Meeting but only participated in the 100 metres and the long jump before withdrawing.[15] At the 2022 World Athletics Championships, LePage finished the first day of the decathlon in second place, after Warner was forced to withdraw because of a hamstring injury.[16] On the second day, consecutive personal best performances in the hurdles and discus throw briefly elevated him into first place, but he was passed by Frenchman Kevin Mayer after the javelin and won the silver medal with a personal best score of 8701 points.[14] On his podium finish, LePage noted that he had "always been high in the standings and then drop off near the end, and it was so much disappointment. To finally be on top, to stay on the podium is amazing."[17] LePage was initially named to the Canadian team for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, but withdrew after the World Championships, with Athletics Canada citing a need "to properly recover and prepare for the rest of the season."[18]

At the 2023 Hypo-Meeting, LePage set new personal bests in both the 100 m and the javelin throw, winning the gold medal in an upset victory over Warner, the seven-time and defending champion. His score of 8700 points was one shy of his personal best.[19] Competing at the 2023 World Athletics Championships, LePage excelled on the first day of the decathlon, and was in second place at the halfway point of the event, ahead of Warner and behind German Leo Neugebauer.[20] LePage began the second day with a new personal best 13.77 in the 110 m hurdles, taking the overall lead from Neugebauer, which he would retain for the remainder of the event, which included his second-best javelin mark ever (60.90 m). He took the gold medal, the first decathlon win for a Canadian man, and stood on the podium with Warner and Victor. His 8909 points were a new personal best, the sixth-highest in history, and the second-best winning margin at a World Athletics Championships after Ashton Eaton's 2015 event record. LePage revealed he had persevered through a couple of "close calls" with injury during the event, and said that "I've done so many decathlons with Damian and we're always supporting each other, so it's nice to share this podium with him."[21]

LePage sustained a disc herniation in April of 2024. He was initially projected to be able to recovery in time to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, but was ultimately forced to withdraw from the event in late July. He said that he would undergo surgery in advance of the 2025 season.[22]

Personal bests (outdoor)

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As of May 26, 2024[23]
Event Performance Location Date Points
Decathlon 8,909 points Budapest August 26, 2023 8,909 points
100 metres 10.28 (+1.5 m/s) Götzis May 27, 2023 1,028 points
Long jump 7.87 m (25 ft 9+3⁄4 in) (+2.5 m/s) w Talence June 22, 2019 1,027 points
Shot put 15.99 m (52 ft 5+1⁄2 in) Los Angeles April 22, 2023 851 points
High jump 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in) Götzis May 27, 2017 887 points
400 metres 46.84 Eugene July 23, 2022 966 points
110 metres hurdles 13.77 (+0.2 m/s) Budapest August 26, 2023 1,004 points
Discus throw 53.26 m (174 ft 8+3⁄4 in) Eugene July 24, 2022 939 points
Pole vault 5.25 m (17 ft 2+1⁄2 in) Talence June 23, 2019 988 points
Javelin throw 63.09 m (206 ft 11+3⁄4 in) Götzis May 28, 2023 784 points
1500 metres 4:31.85 Tokyo August 5, 2021 733 points
Virtual Best Performance 9,207 points

Championship results

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Year Competition Venue Position Event Result
Representing  Canada
2018 Commonwealth Games Gold Coast, Australia 2nd Decathlon 8171 points
2019 Pan American Games Lima, Peru 3rd Decathlon 8161 points
World Championships Doha, Qatar 5th Decathlon 8445 points
2021 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 5th Decathlon 8604 points
2022 World Championships Eugene, United States 2nd Decathlon 8701 points
2023 World Championships Budapest, Hungary 1st Decathlon 8909 points

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Pierce LePage". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. 2019-06-26. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  2. ^ "World Rankings | Men's Decathlon (Heptathlon)".
  3. ^ "Pierce LePage, RBC Olympican" (PDF). Royal Bank of Canada. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  4. ^ "Pierce Lepage wins decathlon at Canadian track and field championships". CBC Sports. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 2018-04-08.
  5. ^ "Canada's Warner drops out, LePage wins silver in Commonwealth Games decathlon". CBC Sports. April 10, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Piercy, Justin (August 6, 2019). "Canadian decathletes Warner, LePage relish chance to compete in Lima". CBC Sports.
  7. ^ Strong, Gregory (August 7, 2019). "Warner defends title, LePage grabs bronze in Pan Am decathlon". CBC Sports.
  8. ^ "Canada's Damian Warner races to decathlon bronze at track and field worlds". CBC Sports. October 3, 2019.
  9. ^ Barnes, Dan (July 22, 2021). "'I guess I'm good at being second': Meet Pierce LePage, Canada's other Olympic decathlon medal threat". National Post.
  10. ^ Nichols, Paula (3 July 2021). "Team Canada to have 57 competitors in athletics at Tokyo 2020". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  11. ^ "57 athletes nominated to Canada's Olympic track & field team". CBC Sports. 3 July 2021. Retrieved 3 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Athletics LEPAGE Pierce". Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  13. ^ Brady, Rachel (August 4, 2021). "Decathlon leader Damian Warner of Canada has gold within his grasp heading into the second day of competition". Globe & Mail.
  14. ^ a b Heroux, Devin (24 July 2022). "Canadian decathlete Pierce LePage wins silver at World Athletics Championships". CBC Sports. Retrieved 25 July 2022.
  15. ^ Faria, Chris (May 29, 2022). "Warner wins seventh Hypo Meeting title in men's decathlon". Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  16. ^ Heroux, Devin (July 23, 2022). "Canada's Damian Warner out of world championships after suffering hamstring injury". CBC Sports. Retrieved July 24, 2022.
  17. ^ "Canada's Pierce LePage wins silver in decathlon at worlds". Sportsnet. July 24, 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  18. ^ "Four Canadians including De Grasse, LePage withdraw from Commonwealth Games". CBC Sports. July 26, 2022. Retrieved July 26, 2022.
  19. ^ Gillespie, Kerry (May 29, 2023). "Perfect 10? Well, Pierce LePage's javelin throw felt perfect as he beat Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner at the Hypo Meeting". The Toronto Star. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  20. ^ "Canada's Andre De Grasse 6th in 200m at worlds after skipping 4x100 relay heats". CBC Sports. August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2023.
  21. ^ Mulkeen, Jon (August 26, 2023). "LePage turns decathlon silver into world gold in Budapest". World Athletics. Retrieved August 28, 2023.
  22. ^ Barnes, Dan (July 17, 2024). "Canadian decathlete Pierce LePage out of Paris Olympics due to back injury". National Post. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  23. ^ "Pierce LePage – IAAF". World Athletics. Retrieved July 25, 2022.

Sources

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pierce LePage.
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