Canada has lost one of its best medal contenders for the Paris Olympics after world decathlon champion Pierce Lepage withdrew due to a back injury.

Lepage announced this on his Instagram page on Wednesday. He stated that he suffered a herniated disc in April and will need surgery on his back.

The 28-year-old athlete from Whitby, Ontario, said he and his team tried to prepare for the Olympics, and until recently, he was still confident in his ability to compete.

Lepage said in a video, "Until the end, even last week or so, I thought I would be able to keep working and would be able to do it." "But I can't force my back to start working suddenly, no matter what."

He added that he tested his fitness at meetings but "there was no strength. Nothing was really happening."

He said he made the difficult decision to withdraw rather than risk further injury.

Lepage continued, "The last two months have been incredibly exhausting, to say the least." "It's really hard to see your dream slip away."

Lepage was named to the Canadian Olympic track and field team, even though he did not participate in last month's trials in Montreal after receiving a medical exemption.

He won the world title last year in Budapest, Hungary, scoring 8909 points, the second highest decathlon score ever at the World Championships.

He also finished second behind Frenchman Kevin Mayer at the 2022 World Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Lepage was expected to be part of a formidable decathlon duo with Damian Warner in Paris. The World Athletics ranks Lepage as the top decathlete followed by Warner, who finished second in Budapest, in second place.

Warner, from London, Ontario, heads to Paris as the reigning Olympic champion.