Decathlete Pierce LePage wins his first Hypo meeting at Götzis

With many of our Canadian athletes participating domestically at Tamarack Ottawa Race Weekend and the Servus Calgary Marathon, one of the top performances of the weekend came internationally at the Hypo multi-event meeting in Götzis, Austria, resulting in victory for a Canadian athlete–but not the one traditionally associated with this meet. 2022 world silver medallist Pierce LePage of Whitby, Ont., won the men’s decathlon, with 8,700 points–just one point shy of his personal best–in his first appearance there. 

“Maybe the prince, keep it in Canada”, @Pierce_LePage doesn’t want to be called the king of the Hypomeeting, yet. pic.twitter.com/WixVF65Dcz

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) May 29, 2023

It was the end of a long streak for LePage’s teammate, Olympic gold medallist Damian Warner, who has won this meet the previous six consecutive years, plus one earlier win. 

The first day’s events are the 100m, the long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. On the second day, competitors race the 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500m. 

After the 400m (the final event of the first day of competition), Warner led the field, but only by 18 points. (Warner has continued to struggle to get healthy after straining his hamstring during the 400m at last year’s world championships on Day 1.) On Day 2 of competition, which starts with the 110m hurdles, he increased his lead slightly, but LePage did well enough in the discus (49.34m) to overtake Warner, and continued his lead with a pole vault jump of 5.00m to Warner’s 4.50m. With only the javelin and 1,500m remaining, LePage was now ahead by 159 points.

🇨🇦 PIERCE LEPAGE FOR THE WIN

Piece LePage wins the decathlon in Gotzis. It marks the seventh consecutive time it’s been won by a Canadian.

🇨🇦 Damian Warner, who won it six straight times coming into this event, places second. Outstanding competition by two great competitors. pic.twitter.com/raxRuVUeQ9

— Devin Heroux (@Devin_Heroux) May 28, 2023

Despite the javelin traditionally being one of his weaker events, LePage threw straight and far on his last two throws, smashing his PB by almost five metres for a 63.09m. He was now 206 points ahead, which Warner had no chance of recouping; in the 1,500m, LePage ran 4:45.74 to secure the overall win, with  Warner running 4:26.16, which put him in second place, with 8,619 points. Sander Skotheim of Norway finished third, with 8,590 points.

Women’s heptathlon

2022 world bronze medallist Anna Hall of the U.S. won the women’s heptathlon, with 6,988 points, beating out Team GB’s Katarina Johnson-Thompson with 6,566 points and Poland’s Adrianna Sulek, with 6,480 points.

For full results, click here.