Victor produces highest winning score at Commonwealth Games since 1998 to secure first decathlon gold medal for Grenada

By Erik Boal, DyeStat Editor

Two-time NCAA Division 1 champion and collegiate record holder Lindon Victor captured the decathlon title Tuesday at the Commonwealth Games at Carrara Stadium in Gold Coast, Australia.

Victor, a former Texas A&M standout and Bowerman Award finalist, accumulated 8,303 points to become Grenada’s first Commonwealth Games champion in the two-day event.

Kurt Felix – Victor’s fellow countryman and 2012 NCAA Division 1 champion at Boise State, who secured the bronze medal in 2014 in Glasgow, Scotland – placed fourth with 7,756 points.

Victor took advantage of a missed pole vault by Canadian star Damian Warner to capture the title. Warner, the defending Commonwealth gold medalist, led by 223 points entering the pole vault, but missed all three attempts at 14-9 (4.50m), well below his personal-best 16-0.75 (4.90m).

“It’s not the way I wanted to win, with Damian having three fouls, but I prayed for the gold medal,” Victor told the Associated Press. “It’s 10 events, not nine. It’s the nature of the decathlon.”

Victor produced the second-highest score in the world this year to surpass 8,300 points for the sixth time in his career. It was the best winning score at the Commonwealth Games since 1998 and eighth-highest total in meet history after he finished ninth in 2014 in Scotland with 7,429 points.

Victor set the collegiate record with 8,539 points at last year’s Southeastern Conference Championships.

Victor produced Commonwealth Games decathlon records in the discus and javelin, in addition to winning the shot put. Victor threw the javelin 233-3 (71.10m) and discus 171-8 (52.32m), along with producing a 51-9.75 (15.79m) shot put.

He concluded with a 5:04.75 in the 1,500 meters to prevail against Canada’s Pierce LaPage, who earned silver with 8,171 points.