DECATHLETE FINISHES UNEVEN SEASON ON TOP OF PODIUM
Warner puts world championships misery behind him with win in southern France
In years past, Damian Warner might not have bothered with the Decastar decathlon, which is positioned better on the map than the calendar.
It’s in Talence, in usually sunny southern France. Some track coaches joke that they flock there in mid-September for the sun and wine. Some decathletes undoubtedly go for the cash, given it’s the last major decathlon of the season and is key to finishing high up in the IAAF’s rather lucrative Combined Events Challenge standings.
Warner put two solid days together last weekend and won the Decastar for a second time, finished second in the challenge and pocketed US$20,000. But that wasn’t the point.
“I try not to do the sport for money,” the 27-year-old said Friday from his home in Calgary. “In 2013, I went to Talence specifically for the reason to finish (well) in the Combined Events Challenge and to win money and it was the worst experience that I’ve ever had. It was just terrible.
“I mean, the atmosphere was amazing and I had a good time hanging out with the other competitors, but it just felt like a different motivational style. Something was a little off, something that I didn’t enjoy as much as other times in the past when I was competing for medals or trying to beat somebody or trying to get a Canadian record, something that matches my goals in the sport.
“Competing for the money has never really been something for me. It’s just trying to do the best that I can. When you do the best that you can, money follows. I can’t look at it the other way around.”
This time, Talence was all about putting the misery of the world championships in London in the rear-view mirror. Having contracted a suspected case of Norwalk virus, as had some of his Canadian teammates, Warner gutted it out and finished fifth. But he was a pre-worlds gold medal favourite.
“Going to worlds and being sick and not able to perform the way I wanted to was a little frustrating. I wanted to go somewhere, just be healthy and compete. It was important to be able to end the season in a way that I could control.”
Mission accomplished. Day One at Talence: second in 100m, first in long jump, sixth in shot put, first in high jump and second in 400m. Day Two: first in 110m hurdles, seventh in discus, 10th in pole vault, ninth in javelin, ninth in 1,500m.
He racked up 8,252 points, 232 more than Germany’s Kai Kazmirek, who won bronze in London. Warner was nowhere near his Canadian record of 8,695, but it didn’t matter.
“I knew that if I won that competition, it showed something for me and showed something to the other competitors as well. I was happy I was able to go there and win the competition, numbers and statistics aside.”
He also won the prestigious Hypo Meeting at Gotzis, Austria in May. On balance, it was a good season, particularly since he moved away from his longtime coaching and home base in London, Ont. last fall to train with coach Les Gramantik in Calgary.
“It showed that I was able to win these competitions before and I’m still able to win them now,” Warner said. “I think it means to me that it wasn’t necessarily a bad decision (to move), that there is still room to improve, and we haven’t taken any steps back.”
Gramantik, who said the two are constantly developing the athlete/coach relationship, wasn’t bothered by Warner’s relatively low numbers at Talence.
“I keep emphasizing to people that scores are good, rankings are great, records are fantastic, but winning championships and competitions, that’s why you compete. There’s no other reason. You look at any sport, that’s what matters.
“The weather was garbage, but he performed well. After what he’d gone through in London, it was just a great idea to go back and basically beat almost everybody who beat him in London.”
The pair will continue to work toward Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020. Along the way, Warner will compete at the Commonwealth Games in 2018, as well as the Pan Am Games and another world championships in 2019.
“While the Olympics are the ultimate goal and that’s what you’re ultimately working toward, you have all these other mini goals and mini competitions that kind of distract you from that ultimate goal, but at the same time prepare you for that goal,” Warner said. “It works out nicely because you don’t get caught up in worrying about the Olympics for four years straight.”
It was important to be able to end the season in a way that I could control.