Olympics overnight: Damian Warner dominates decathlon, Brooke Henderson and Alena Sharpe struggle on another scorcher in Tokyo

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/08/2021 (1546 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Rise and shine, Olympic fans. Here’s what you missed overnight and need to know about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics this morning.

For all the Summer Games content, visit our Olympics page here.

Think about this for a second.

If Canadian Damian Warner, who was leading the decathlon after the first session on Wednesday, participated in Olympic long jump with the distance he accomplished in the decathlon, he would be going home with a bronze.

Again, a bronze.

Oh, and all of this in sweltering summer conditions, with the humidity making the temperature feel over 40 C.

Speaking of the heat, that sparked a protest from both Canada and Sweden to move the start time of the gold medal women’s soccer game. In other results overnight, the Canadian men came fifth in team pursuit cycling, Alena Sharp and Brooke Henderson struggle in first round of gold, and our canoe sprinters are off to a strong start.

Also, a big race this morning as Canadians Andre De Grasse and Aaron Brown participate in the 200-metre final.

Here’s what you missed overnight in Day 12 action:

Damian off to dominating start

The 31-year-old Canadian, along with teammate Pierce LePage, is off to a sizzling start in the Olympic decathlon, with Warner leading the multi-day event as of Wednesday evening in Tokyo. The No.1-ranked Warner set an Olympic decathlon record of 8.24 metres in the long jump (for context, the bronze medal distance in the actual long jump at these Olympics was 8.21 metres) and also tied his own world record in the 100-metre leg of the decathlon with a time of 10.12.

After the first five of 10 events, Warner — the No. 1-ranked decathlete in the world this year — leads the field with 4,722 points and LePage is third (4,529). The decathlon continues into Thursday.

Yeah, it’s too hot

Most Canadians would struggle just standing in this humidity. Imagine trying to run in it.

It’s obviously been a hot topic — heh, hot — of discussion at these Games, but as we approach the closing ceremonies, the weather in Tokyo doesn’t seem to be letting up. Many athletes have openly talked about what they have to do to cool down, such as using ice packs and baths, immediately after their events.

It’s such a concern that the women on both sides of the gold medal soccer match slated for Thursday have asked officials to move the match later in the day to allow for more shade at Olympic Stadium. The final between Canada and Sweden is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. local time Friday (10 p.m. eastern time on Thursday).

The local forecast called for mostly sunny conditions and a high of 34 C, with the humidity expected to make it feel more like the low 40s.

First race since 2019? No problem

Canoe sprinter Laurence Vincent-Lapointe hadn’t raced since June 2019, but her return to the event was no problem for her as she, along with teammate Katie Vincent, breezed into the women’s 200-metre semis. Vincent-Lapointe, a seven-time world champion at the distance, raced to a time of 45.408 to win her heat and automatically advance to the semifinals.

The 29-year-old hadn’t participated in two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic and a positive drug test, which was eventually overturned in January 2020 when the International Canoe Federation accepted she was the victim of third-party contamination.

More Canadian results:

• Golf, women’s: Canadians Alena Sharp and Brooke Henderson both struggled in the first round of the women’s tournament. The Canadians are well down the leaderboard after shooting 3-over 74 rounds at Kasumigaseki Country Club.

• Men’s cycling, track team pursuit: Canada places fifth over Germany.

• Middle-distance, 1,500-metres: Gabriela DeBues-Stafford, third in heat, with 3:58.28. Her sister Lucia finished sixth in her heat and will not advance.

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• Kayak, men’s 200-metre: Nicholas Matveev qualified for the semifinals after finishing second in his quarterfinal heat

• Diving, women’s individual 10-metre platform: Meaghan Benfeito advanced to the semifinal, teammate Celina Toth did not.