World champion LePage gets medical exemption from Canadian Olympic trials, raising more health questions

Never before has Canada had four track and field world champions heading into a Summer Games, but that’s exactly the case now as athletes from across the country descend to Montreal for the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic trials looking to lock up their spot on Team Canada. 

And here’s the thing, there is depth and talent both on the track and field. 

Camryn Rogers and Ethan Katzberg are the hammer throw world champions. Marco Arop is the 800-metre world champion. 

And Pierce Lepage won decathlon gold at the world championships last summer as well. 

But CBC Sports has learned Lepage, who has only competed in one event this outdoor season, will not be competing at the trials that begin on Wednesday and run until Sunday at Complexe Sportif Claude Robillard. 

Athletics Canada says Lepage has received a medical exemption from competing — and according to its own selection criteria document, this can only happen if an athlete has sustained an injury or illness.

Athletes looking to be nominated to the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic team must compete at trials, however, an athlete can be excused from this requirement if they receive a written medical exemption from the Athletics Canada chief medical officer.

“The AC CMO will only grant medical exemptions from competing at the Canadian championships on the basis that the athlete has sustained an injury or illness which prevents them from competing at the championships,” the Athletics Canada document says. 

Lepage will not be commenting on his absence from trials. It raises more questions about his health as Paris looms.

WATCH | LePage wins historic decathlon world title:

Lepage pulled out of important Hypo meet

In May, Lepage pulled out of the Hypo Meeting in Götzis, Austria. It’s an event that many of the elite decathletes attend annually. He won the event last year. There was no reason given then as to why Lepage wasn’t competing. 

At the beginning of June, Lepage competed at a Guelph, Ont., meet. He posted a time of 51.70 seconds in the 400m race, which is about five seconds slower than his personal-best time in the event. 

Lepage has overcome a number of injuries throughout his career, including a torn patellar tendon in his left knee while capturing silver at the 2022 world championships.

Damian Warner is the defending Olympic champion in the decathlon. He won an historic eighth Gotzis title in May and appears to be in fine form going into another Games. 

There are a couple of ways athletes can qualify for the Olympics. The first and easiest way is by hitting the Olympic standard set out by World Athletics. The second way is through the World Athletics ranking system based on points.

But athletes still need to deliver world-class performances during trials to lock up their spot on the team — an official announcement is expected in the days following trials.

There is a star-studded cast of athletes who will be competing throughout the five days of competition, highlighted by six-time Olympic medallist Andre De Grasse. 

Athletics Canada has broken up the competition days based on theme nights, beginning on Wednesday with what they’re calling “Heavy Metal Night,” that focuses on hammer throw.

That’s followed by “Distance Night,” on Thursday featuring Moh Ahmed and Jean-Simon Desgagnes. On Friday evening in Montreal the action heats up with “Speed Night,” highlighted by Aaron Brown and De Grasse in the 100m. Sarah Mitton, the world indoor shot put champion, will also look to defend her national title on Friday night as well.

Para athletes Marissa Papaconstantinou and Austin Smeenk will also be taking to the track on Friday.

On the penultimate day of competition, called “Family Day,’ world champion in the 800m Marco Arop will look to send a statement to the rest of his competitors. And finally on Sunday, the last day of competition, De Grasse and Brown will battle it out for the 200-metre crown.

Paralympic shot put champion, Greg Stewart, who has come out of retirement makes his return to competition on the final day looking to make it onto another Canadian team at the Games. 

There was a level of concern last week about track conditions at Complexe Sportif Claude Robillard when Athletics Canada issued a last-minute statement saying La Classique d’athlétisme de Montréal had to be relocated.

Reports surfaced in Canadian Running that the track “could not handle the heat and humidity in Montreal this week, causing it to rip and bubble along the homestretch,”

However, repairs were done over the weekend and Athletics Canada feels confident the event will take place without issue.

Athletics competition in Paris begin on the second week during the Games.