Decathlon – Olympic champion Damian Warner is injured in the 400m, Kevin Mayer 6th after five events

Kevin Mayer lost his words. While commenting on the last series of the 400m decathlon at the Worlds, the leader of French athletics saw his great opponent Damian Warner come to an abrupt stop. The Canadian, reigning Olympic champion and leader after four of the ten events on Saturday in Eugene, was touched behind the left thigh. Struck down in his flight towards a possible world title.

At the microphone of our colleagues from France TelevisionsMayer lamented the loss of this strong rival: « In the decathlon, there is great adversity (sic). Seeing his opponent get hurt like this is not at all pleasant. He is a person that I appreciate a lot, I never wish him that. It hurts. » And to insist: « He’s a great man, a great champion.” A champion whose withdrawal announces a second day all the more indicative.

Before Damian Warner’s injury, he seemed to have gained an upper hand over the competition. On Kevin Mayer in particular. Disappointing in weight (14.98m, when he has already launched at 17.08m), the vice-world record holder ends this first half of the decathlon in sixth place. « The things I didn’t prepare are really weak » he smiled nervously, in reference to an upset preparation.

« The weight was catastrophic. I don’t know what I have, I have lack of feeling when it comes to strength since I arrived here« , asked the 30-year-old Frenchman, world champion in 2017 and silver medalist at the last two Olympic Games. « I fight for the title when it ain’t crazy what I do“, he still manages to be positive.

The title is at 234 points. So far ? Yes, because on the sidelines of Warner’s injury, the Puerto Rican Ayden Owens-Delerme signed a sensational performance, which could have revived the suspense, intrinsically. He concluded his lap in 45″07, seven hundredths of the record (in a decathlon), held by Ashton Eaton. Enough to take control and impress Mayer, who admitted discovering this opponent as part of the competition.

Only credited with a time of 49″40 – more than a second off his record (48″26) – during the final game of « day 1 », Mayer is only 97 points behind Zachery Ziemek, who is in third place. The podium is in his line of sight: « If I go for a medal tomorrow (sunday), it will taste less good because of that (Warner’s wound), but that’s sports« . »I’m with Kevin now“, meanwhile slipped Damian Warner on France Télévisions.