# Mike Smith (decathlete)

Michael Cameron "Mike" Smith (born September 16, 1967) is a Canadian decathlete from Kenora, Ontario.

## Biography

He attended Pinecrest Elementary School, Lakewood Intermediate School, Beaver Brae Secondary School in Kenora, Ontario, and then Central Technical School in Toronto for his final year of high school.
Smith attended the University of Toronto Commerce program during his athletic career. He was coached by Andy Higgins while living in Toronto, Ontario and then by Les Gramantik when he moved to live and train in Calgary, Alberta in 1994.
Smith won a silver medal at the World Junior Track and Field Championships in 1986. At the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, he placed 14th. At the 1990 Commonwealth Games Smith won a gold medal. In 1991, he was the silver medal winner at the World Track and Field Championships, and was the first North American to win the Götzis International Decathlon, which he won again in 1996.
In 1992 at Barcelona, Spain, Smith was the opening ceremonies flag bearer for Canada at the Olympics. Unfortunately during the decathlon Smith pulled a hamstring and was forced to withdraw on the first day of the two-day competition. In 1994, he won gold at the Commonwealth Games for the second time.
Smith was ranked in the top 10 in the world for 10 years in a row from 1989 to 1998 with his highest rankings being #2 in the world in 1991 and #3 in the world in 1995.
Personal Best Performances
Smith held the Canadian Record in the decathlon with a total of 8626 points set in Gotzis Austria in 1996. Smith's record was broken by Damian Warner, with a total of 8659 points, at the 2015 Pan American Games.
The sum of Smith's overall personal bests in the individual disciplines of decathlon totals 9,362 points (the third best ever after Ashton Eaton & Dan O'Brien).
Day 1: 100 metres - 10.70 seconds, Long Jump - 7.76 metres, Shot Put - 18.03 metres, High Jump - 2.14 metres, 400 meters - 47.06 seconds Day 2: 110 metre hurdles - 14.24 seconds, Discus Throw - 52.90 metres, Pole Vault - 5.20 metres, Javelin Throw - 71.22 metres, 1500 metres - 4:20,04
Total: 9362 points
Smith still holds the world's best performance for the 3 combined throwing events in decathlon (shot put, discus, javelin).
| World Ranking | Decathlete | Nation | Points | Shot Put | Discus | Javelin | Venue | Date |
| 1 | Michael Smith | CAN | 2748 | 16.94m | 52.90m | 71.22m | Götzis | 26.05.96 |
| 2 | Bryan Clay | USA | 2734 | 16.25m | 53.68m | 72.00m | Helsinki | 10.08.05 |
| 3 | William Motti | FRA | 2595 | 16.96m | 52.46m | 68.20m | Emmitsburg | 29.09.91 |
Smith retired from the sport of decathlon in 1999 and went on to a career in financial services and wealth management. He also works for CBC Television Sports and CTV Television as a colour commentator for track and field events; in this capacity, he received a Canadian Screen Award nomination for Best Sports Analyst at the 10th Canadian Screen Awards as a commentator for CBC Television's coverage of the 2020 Summer Olympics.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Notes |
| Representing Canada ||||||
| 1986 | World Junior Championships | Athens, Greece | 13th (h) | 4 × 400 m relay | 3:11.26 |
| 1986 | World Junior Championships | Athens, Greece | 2nd | Decathlon | 7523 pts |
| 1986 | Commonwealth Games | Edinburgh, United Kingdom | 7th | Decathlon | 7363 pts |
| 1987 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 6th | Decathlon | 8126 pts |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | — | Decathlon | DNF |
| 1988 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 12th | Decathlon | 8039 pts |
| 1988 | Summer Olympics | Seoul, South Korea | 14th | Decathlon | 8083 pts |
| 1989 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 4th | Decathlon | 8121 pts |
| 1989 | Jeux de la Francophonie | Casablanca, Morocco | 1st | Decathlon | 8160 pts |
| 1990 | Commonwealth Games | Auckland, New Zealand | 1st | Decathlon | 8525 pts |
| 1991 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 1st | Decathlon | 8427 pts |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | Decathlon | 8549 pts |
| 1992 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 3rd | Decathlon | 8409 pts |
| 1992 | Summer Olympics | Barcelona, Spain | — | Decathlon | DNF |
| 1993 | World Indoor Championships | Toronto, Canada | 2nd | Heptathlon | 6279 pts |
| 1993 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 3rd | Decathlon | 8362 pts |
| 1993 | World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | — | Decathlon | DNF |
| 1994 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 4th | Decathlon | 8191 pts |
| 1994 | Commonwealth Games | Victoria, Canada | 1st | Decathlon | 8326 pts |
| 1995 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | — | Decathlon | DNF |
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 3rd | Decathlon | 8419 pts |
| 1996 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 1st | Decathlon | 8626 pts (NR) |
| 1996 | Summer Olympics | Atlanta, Georgia, United States | 13th | Decathlon | 8271 pts |
| 1997 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 3rd | Decathlon | 8555 pts |
| 1998 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 7th | Decathlon | 8228 pts |
| 1998 | Commonwealth Games | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 3rd | Decathlon | 8143 pts |
| 1998 | World Combined Events Challenge | several places | 8th | Decathlon | 24,543 pts |