Decathlon world champion Pierce LePage won't compete at Paris Olympics due to injury

A herniated disc suffered in April will prevent Canadian decathlete Pierce LePage from pursuing his first Olympic title next month in Paris.

After winning a gold medal last summer at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, Hungary, he competed at a pair of Toronto indoor events in February. 

On June 4, LePage ran the outdoor 400 metres at the Royal City Inferno Track and Field Festival in Guelph, Ont., and in the 100 earlier this month in Toronto, but his times in both events were significantly slower than his 2023 performances.

The native of Whitby, Ont., was granted a medical exemption from participating at the Canadian Olympic trials late last month in Montreal. 

In May, LePage didn't defend his Hypo Meeting title in Götzis, Austria, an event many elite decathletes attend annually.

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