Lindon Victor overcomes discus controversy to claim decathlon gold at 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow - 'You just have to stay in it'
By Tom Masters
Updated 02/08/2026 at 17:35 GMT+1
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Lindon Victor shrugged off a moment of high drama and controversy to win decathlon gold at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as the 33-year-old from Grenada secured the title for the third time in his career.
Bizarre mismeasurement drama hits decathlete at crucial moment
Video credit: TNT Sports
The drama unfolded when Victor was asked to throw again in the discus after his effort - a Commonwealth Games record in the event - was deemed to have been measured incorrectly.
His repeat throw was a foul after he stepped out of the circle, costing him points in the multi-discipline athletics event.
It could have been a terminal blow, but Victor regrouped superbly and his events on the second day were enough to secure him gold ahead of Damian Warner and Tejaswin Shankar.
Speaking after securing his third Commonwealth Games decathlon gold, Victor said: ”It wasn't the prettiest decathlon and it wasn't the best conditions, but to be able to come out and win this three times. I feel blessed.
”I'm one of the better second-day athletes out there but it didn’t start off well at all.
”I just tried to stay locked in and tried to stay focused and listen to the people in my corner. They always believed that there was a chance that I could win it.
”Back in 2018 [in Gold Coast] if my events were bad, I felt like I would have got in my own head, but we say now ‘it’s a decathlon and anything can happen’. You just have to stay in it.
”Grenada pours so much love into me and this is my way of showing love back to them. They supported me even when I messed up in multiple events. They've always had my back.”
How discus drama unfolded for Victor
The 33-year-old began well to finish second behind only Damian Warner in the 100m, and he threw almost three metres more than the Canadian in the shot put.
After the 110-metre hurdles, however, the gap was starting to open up for Warner over Victor, after the 2020 Olympic champion ran a sublime 14.04.
Then it was time for the discus, a key event in the decathlon for Victor and arguably one of Warner's lesser events.
And the Grenadian's first throw was magnificent. In fact, it set a new Commonwealth Games record of 56.07m. That would have been enough to give him the overall lead in the decathlon.
But remarkably, Victor was ordered to re-throw, not because of a foul on his part, but because his throw had been measured incorrectly.
Unfortunately for him, on this new re-throw, he fell out of the circle and it was a foul.
That saw his best throw taken at 53.52 metres, which took him to only third in the overall standings with only the pole vault, javelin and 1500m to go.
It remains to be seen whether Victor and Grenada will challenge the call, but TNT Sports expert Iwan Thomas believes a clear mistake was made.
The 1998 Commonwealth Games 400m gold medallist said on TNT Sports’ Commonwealth Games 360 show: ”That is clearly over 55 [metres] - it is looking like 57.5 to me. It is a great throw.
”We often talk about the decathletes, 10 gruelling events, it is the physical recovery between events.
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”But now imagine his psychological recovery, knowing something that is such a good throw, which would really throw him into the lead and some, and he is having to throw again.
”Something has to happen here. Now I am not blaming the officials or the volunteers, they are absolutely amazing in athletics.
"We have got some of the best officials in the world, but a mistake has been made there.”
Victor’s pole vault of 4.70 was enough to send him back on top after Warner could only manage a 4.40, giving the Grenadian the narrowest of margins in the gold medal position.
But Thomas believes that the original throw still needs looking into after Victor was forced to throw again.
He added: ”Does his team management put in a protest? Can they now retrospectively measure that?
”I don’t know if they have the technology to do that but here on our screens we can clearly see that is verging on 57ish metres, not 53.
”So he has had to use more physical energy to have to throw again. But think about his mind now going into the pole vault angry rather than ‘I have just got a PB in the last event.’
”He has to clear his mind somehow and hopefully have enough in the tank for the last two events, but that is not good, that is not good.”
The javelin will take place at Scotstoun Stadium at 7pm on Friday, while the 1500m will take place at 8:35pm.
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