Family and friends cheer on Damian Warner to Olympic history in the decathlon
Although his loved ones couldn't be in Tokyo in person to cheer on their favourite decathlete, Damian Warner could probably hear their roars of support from a viewing party in London, Ont., Thursday.
Friends and family – including his baby son Theo – gathered at the home of Warner's long-time friend and business manager Jeff Fischer to witness history in the making.
"Just amazing watching him and pick it up and across the finish line and the time that he needed to break that record and it's just amazing to hear the Olympic champion that's so crazy," says Warner's long-time partner Jen Cotton.
Cotton adds watching Warner dominate the event was an emotional journey.
"I think his mom (Brenda Gillan) who I'd never seen cry ever was crying and now it's just amazing to watch him. I've been getting nervous the whole competition until this race (1500m) and it's always like the, I don't know it's the deciding factor, and it's kind of like tense watching, it's kind of slow but you like the build up in the build up."
Warner is Canada’s first-ever Olympic champion in the decathlon, earning him the unofficial title of 'World’s Greatest Athlete'.
His final score of 9,018 points at the Tokyo games is an Olympic record as well as a Canadian record.
This is the first time Warner has surpassed the 9,000-point mark, becoming just the fourth decathlete in history to do so.
More to come
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.