Dean Macey set a new personal best in Edmonton to claim the bronze decathlon medal.

It was a step back from the silver the Canvey athlete won at the World Championships in Seville two years ago.

But the 23-year-old was not complaining too much as he fought a catalogue of injuries to replace his old record of 8567 with a new one of 8603.

"In a way I'm really disappointed and gutted, but I keep saying I never think about Sydney but I do," said Macey, who finished fourth in his last decathlon at the Olympic Games in the Australian city last year.

"And one of the reasons I'm so chuffed now is because I know what I felt like giving 110 per cent last year and coming home with nothing in my pocket.

"But this year I have got something in my pocket. I feel like I have won my own personal gold medal."

Macey was leading by one point from reigning world champion Tomas Dvorak going into the second day of the decathlon.

He needed five injections to deaden the pain as he suffered injuries to a groin muscle, a hamstring and his elbow while battling through the second half of the decathlon programme.

He slipped down to third behind Dvorak and Olympic champion Erki Nool but did enough to hold on to the bronze medal despite the pain clearly showing as he competed in the Commonwealth Stadium.

Although Rochford-born Macey set a new personal best overall, and personal records in the high jump, 400m and 110m hurdles, he was unable to achieve his target of beating decathlete legend Daley Thompson's 8847 British record.

Thompson set that at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics a year after he won the gold at the World Championships - the only decathlon gold Britain has ever won at the international event.

For a full report on Macey's decathlon challenge and pictures see tonight's Evening Echo

Flying the flag again - Canvey's Dean Macey, pictured here after winning silver in Seville

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