Olympic decathlon champ Warner wins Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s Athlete of the Year

Damian Warner of London, Ont., is the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada's Athlete of the Year. Warner won gold and set a new record at the Tokyo Games last summer.

Decathlete Damian Warner was named the winner of the Lou Marsh Trophy as Canada’s Athlete of the Year on Wednesday, capping a triumphant season highlighted by his Olympic title at the Tokyo Games.

Warner became just the fourth man in history to top the elusive 9,000-point barrier in the 10-discipline event. The 32-year-old native of London, Ont., is the first Canadian to win the Olympic decathlon.

Media members from across Canada voted Wednesday on the annual Toronto Star award. Specifics on the vote breakdown weren’t immediately available.

Warner, sprinter Andre de Grasse, Toronto Blue Jays slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Edmonton Oilers forward Connor McDavid, swimmer Maggie Mac Neil and soccer players Alphonso Davies and Stephanie Labbe made the shortlist after 24 athletes were nominated.

Warner, who won bronze at the 2016 Games in Rio, set an Olympic record and a national record with 9,018 points in Tokyo. He was Canada’s flag-bearer at the closing ceremony.

Warner tied his decathlon world mark in the 100 metres in Tokyo and set Olympic decathlon records in the long jump and 110-metre hurdles. He cleared a personal best 4.90 metres in the pole vault.

Davies and Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif were named co-winners of the award last year.