Athletics-Mayer closing in on LePage in battle for decathlon gold

Canada’s Pierce LePage produced two more personal bests on Sunday to move into pole position in the World Championship decathlon, but world record holder Kevin Mayer of France looks poised to overhaul him with two events remaining.

Olympic champion and hot favourite Damian Warner had been leading after four events on Saturday but pulled up with a hamstring injury in the 400 metres and had to withdraw. In his absence, fellow Canadian LePage ran a personal best to stay close to overnight leader Ayden Owens-Delerme and then continued his hot form on Sunday.

LePage, who finished fifth in both 2019 worlds and Tokyo Olympics, started with a huge PB of 13.78 seconds in the 110 hurdles. The Canadian then surged clear as he launched his first discus throw 53.26 metres, a personal best by almost two metres, while Owens-Delerme was more than 10 metres behind to lose significant ground.

LePage was desperately close to clearing 5:10 metres in the pole vault and having to settle for 5.00m saw his lead shrink considerably. Mayer, world champion in 2017 and twice an Olympic silver medallist, and American Zach Ziemek both cleared best-of-the day 5.40 to change the whole picture. With the javelin and 1,500 to come, LePage was 81 points clear of Ziemek, with Mayer five further points back.

Mayer, who was sixth overnight and did not make the top three in any of the first seven disciplines, has javelin and 1,500 metre personal bests significantly better than his two chief rivals and barring a disaster should top the podium later on Sunday. Ziemek has never really threatened to medal in his two previous World Championship and two Olympic appearances, with a best finish of sixth in Tokyo last year.

The medals look to be between the leading trio as Owens-Delerme in fourth is almost 200 points adrift.

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