It’s been a rough world championships campaign for Canada’s decathletes in Tokyo. On Saturday, the opening day of the men’s decathlon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships, defending champion Pierce LePage withdrew due to ongoing back issues.
Pierce LePage competed in the men’s decathlon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
“One thing about this back injury is, you can feel okay, but doesn’t mean you’re going to go out and perform your best,” LePage told Canadian Running. “You don’t really know until you do it. [It was a] pretty mediocre four events, to say the least, and my back just wasn’t working.” LePage, who won world decathlon title in 2023, did not compete at last year’s Olympic Games due to a herniated disc.
“I feel like I’ve been smashing my head against the wall for the entire season, and sometimes, the wall wins,” he added. LePage is the second of Canada’s two decathletes to pull out of the championships, following Damian Warner, who withdrew earlier on Saturday morning, announcing he is dealing with an Achilles tendon injury.
At the time of his withdrawal, LePage was in 15th place with 3,241 points after four events. He did not contest Saturday evening’s 400m.
Pierce LePage competed in the men’s decathlon at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. Photo: Nick Iwanyshyn
“My top speed [is triggering it]–and my power is just not really there. It’s frustrating, of course, as an athlete because when you get injured you want to be back to where you were immediately. It’s annoying, but we just need more time.” He competed at May’s Hypo-Meeting decathlon in Götzis, Austria, as a test event for his back. Since then, he says, he’s been training hard, and thus far, it’s been going well.
Damian Warner’s world championship hopes dashed by injury
He now looks to head back to Canada and take some down time. “Since my initial injury a year and a half ago, through surgery and all the rehab stuff, it’s been a grind,” he said. “It’s going to be nice to have a little bit of off time–but then we’ll get back to the grind.”
For full results of the 2025 World Athletics Championships, click here.
Canadian Running’s coverage of the 2025 World Athletics Championships is brought to you by ASICS Canada.
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