July 17, 2024 - 3:30 PM
World champion decathlete Pierce LePage will not compete in the Paris Olympics due to a herniated disc sustained in April.
LePage made the announcement on his Instagram page Wednesday and said he will need surgery on his back.
The 28-year-old from Whitby, Ont., was named to Canada's Olympic athletics team in July, although he did not compete at last month's Olympic trials in Montreal after receiving a medical exemption.
LePage said he and his team tried to get ready for the Olympics, and until recently he was still confident he would be able to compete.
LePage, who won the world title last year and was runner-up in 2022, was expected to be part of a formidable one-two decathlon punch with Damian Warner in Paris. World Athletics ranks LePage is the top decathlete followed by Warner at No. 2.
Warner, from London, Ont., heads to Paris as the reigning Olympic champion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2024.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2024