Damian Warner, the London, Ont.-born Olympic Champion who took home the gold and set a new Olympic record in the decathlon in last year’s Summer Games, will be honoured on Monday with a ceremony at Western University.
The free event, set to take place at Western’s Thompson Arena, Warner’s long-time training facility, comes as part of the Hometown Stars initiative organized by Canada’s Walk of Fame, into which Warner was inducted in December 2021.
The initiative gives inductees an “additional opportunity to celebrate their induction in their hometown with a free public celebration, featuring a commemorative replica plaque unveiling … special guests, and musical performances,” Walk of Fame officials said in a release.
Each inductee also gets $10,000 donated to a charity or cause of their choosing. Warner has decided to donate $5,000 each to bgc London and KidSport Canada, the release said.
Warner will be joined on Monday by the CEO of Canada’s Walk of Fame, Jeffrey Latimer, outgoing Mayor Ed Holder, singer-songwriter Jordan Hart and soprano Laura Nielsen among others.
Warner’s induction last year came after he stunned the world in Tokyo and finished with 9,018 points in the decathlon, setting a new all-time Olympic record and becoming the fourth person in history to top 9,000 points.
On top of that, he also set a world decathlon best 10.12 seconds in the 100 metre, set an Olympic decathlon record in the long jump, and set an Olympic decathlon best 13.46 seconds in the 110-metre hurdles.
The gold medal he took home was the first for a Canadian in the decathlon.
The public celebration will run from 11:15 a.m. to noon on Monday outside Thompson Arena.
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