Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner was voted 2021 Canada’s Athlete of the Year on Wednesday.
• Read also: Ottawa in turn announces diplomatic boycott of Beijing Olympics
• Read also: Olympic Games: Australia announces boycott, “nobody cares” replies Beijing
The Ontarian completely dominated his sport last summer in Tokyo, setting a high point in Games history with 9,018 points. In the process, he has offered himself a world mark in his discipline in the 100m and Olympic records in the 110m hurdles and the long jump.
Synonymous with perseverance, the 32-year-old became the oldest gold medalist in the decathlon.
Warner is also the first athletic expert to be named Canada’s Athlete of the Year since sprinter Donovan Bailey in 1996.
The other finalists for the honor were sprinter Andre De Grasse, Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid, Toronto Blue Jays youngster Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bayern Munich defenseman Alphonso Davies, goalkeeper Stephanie Labbé and swimmer Maggie Mac Neil.
Davies won the title last year alongside Quebecer Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.