TOKYO – Former Olympic decathlon champion Damian Warner will not compete for his first title at the world athletics championships.

Warner withdrew from the competition Saturday morning in Tokyo due to a nagging Achilles injury that worsened over the last few days, a spokesperson for Athletics Canada said.

The decathlon was scheduled to run through Sunday night at Japan’s National Stadium, where Warner struck gold in record-breaking fashion at the Summer Games in 2021.

The 35-year-old from London, Ont., who also won bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016, is a four-time medallist at the world championships, winning two silver and two bronze.

Warner claimed silver behind gold medal-winning countryman Pierce LePage at the most recent worlds in Budapest in 2023.

LePage, who missed last year’s

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