Canadian Olympic High Jump Champion Derek Drouin Plans to Compete in Decathlon at 2018 Commonwealth Games

By Adam Kopet, DyeStat Editor

The 2016 Olympic high jump champion is considering a change in event.

Derek Drouin, a 26-year-old Canadian, followed up his 2012 bronze medal with gold last summer in Rio. Now, as reported by The Sports Network, Drouin is planning a future in the decathlon.

While Drouin's athletic successes have come in the high jump, he has a background as a multi-event athlete. He was recruited to the University of Indiana to compete in the multis.

However, while competing for the Hoosiers, Drouin's high jump improved at such a rate, he began to compete in it exclusively. He was still a junior when he captured Olympic bronze.

Although Drouin still plans to focus on the high jump this year, he is working to once again use more multi-event based training. He believes the added training will only benefit his high jump, citing recent injuries from "running and turning right all the time."

This spring, Drouin plans to compete in a decathlon in Santa Barbara in early April. The Commonwealth Games are scheduled for April 4-15, 2018 in Gold Coast, Australia.