Damian Warner makes return to Glasgow for Commonwealth Games with gold in sight

It’s a full-circle moment of sorts for Damian Warner.

The London, Ont., native is back for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, 12 years after winning decathlon gold at the same multi-sport event in the same city. Warner’s resume carried a lot less weight back then — he has since won Olympic gold, three more world championship medals and a few more national titles.

“It’s a really cool thing. I think if you would have asked me in 2014 if I would still be going in 2026, I’m not sure I would have believed it,” he said. “But at the same time, I’m just super grateful that I’m still able to continue doing this sport and continue to compete at a high level.

“It’s been a really good journey. And to go back to Glasgow from 2014, which I have really good memories from, I’m pretty excited. I’ll have my family with me this time, which is a little bit of a change, but I’m just looking forward to it.”

Athletics competition begins Monday at EDF Scotstoun Stadium, with the two-day decathlon getting underway Thursday.

Warner is among several Canadian stars going to the event, including Olympic and world champion hammer throwers Ethan Katzberg and Camryn Rogers, sprinter Andre De Grasse and star shot putter Sarah Mitton. The number of high-profile athletes in Glasgow comes in a season without a regular outdoor world championships, which will wait until next season with the Olympics to follow in 2028.

But for Warner, it isn’t just being in search of high-level decathlon competition. It’s also the desire to rebound from the last couple of years with gold and show he’s still in the conversation of best decathlete in the world.

The 36-year-old pulled out of the Olympics two years ago when he failed to get over the bar on all three attempts in the pole vault. He also suffered an Achilles injury that forced him out of the 2025 world championships in Tokyo.

“After consecutive years of just having unfortunate events pop up, you really want to put one together to showcase that you’re kind of still there,” he said. “And I think my competitors know that I’m still competitive and I’m still here, and there’s some of that they have to look out for.

“But you certainly want to go up there and put a score together that can show that. But also the world championship standard has increased to 8,620 (points). So that’s something that you also want to get out of the way so that you don’t have to worry about that going into a world championship or an Olympic year.”

Warner called that Olympic experience a “frustrating” time but said there were no inner doubts of his abilities in the last couple of years.

However, the physical demands of the decathlon have put greater focus on Warner’s age and how much longer he can compete. Warner, who was the oldest Olympic decathlon champion at 31 years old in 2021, takes it as a “badge of honour.”

“It’s certainly a question as you get older that people ask a lot more often,” he said. “And at one point in time, it was something that got a little bit annoying. … It’s never really a question that you get asked in your 20s, and rightfully so; there’s not too many decathletes and athletes that have had success at 36, 37, 38 years old.

“But at the same time you have people like LeBron James and other athletes that are having success; Tom Brady had success really late into their career. So it’s really a matter of desire, how much you want it and how much you’re enjoying it. And I still love the sport, and I still feel like I have so much to improve.”

Warner is taking a cautious approach toward the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, acknowledging that the Olympic journey is not easy.

“My explanation is a little bit tricky because my plan is to go to ’28, but at the same time, I have given myself a window of after this year; I wanna check in with myself and check in with my family to make sure that it’s the right decision,” he said.

“And if it is, then we’ll go forward to LA. And if not, then we’ll make a difficult decision to step away. Right now, that’s not my plan to step away. But I just have to give myself that opportunity to make that decision at the end of this year.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2026.

Abdulhamid Ibrahim, The Canadian Press