Even before the Paris Olympics begin, Canada loses a medal hope. Injured decathlete Pierce LePage, reigning decathlon champion at the world athletics championships, will miss the competition.
“I won’t go to Paris 2024 and that really sucks,” he revealed, in a slightly more vulgar manner, in a video published on Instagram.
The Ontario native suffered a herniated L5/S1 disc in April. “The diagnosis of healing was encouraging, I thought I could compete in the Games. But it seems I’m one of those people who doesn’t heal naturally, not quickly from a herniated disc,” he explains.
“My mind wants to be there, but all the signs my body is giving me are telling me not to go, that it would be a mistake,” he adds.
I felt like I didn’t care what I did, [ma blessure] was only getting worse, he said. At first, I didn’t want to admit it [qu’abandonner] was an option. I always managed to push through the pain.
Pierce LePage, reigning decathlon champion at the World Athletics Championships
Pierce LePage had withdrawn from the Olympic track and field trials in Montreal. He had received a medical exemption. However, it was not known what ailment he was suffering from.
LePage also withdrew from the Hypo Meeting in Götzis, Austria, in May. In June, he was not a shadow of his former self at a meet in Guelph. He finished the 400 metres five seconds faster than his personal best.
“The last few months have been draining, to say the least,” he admits. “I didn’t share the nature of my injury because I didn’t want to give myself an excuse, in case I performed poorly. I never want to blame my performances on injuries.”
LePage plans to use the next three weeks to recover. The athlete will be back in top form to compete at the Tokyo Athletics Championships in 2025.
“The thing I learned from this injury is that I am resilient. I will be back next year to defend my title,” he concluded.