When players are classified as great athletes in their respective sports, they are often categorized in that manner based on undeniable athleticism and a freak-of- nature skill set. While those attributes are true, a more definitive definition of a great athlete can be seen firsthand in the decathlon competition.
It takes full mastery of running, jumping, hurdling and throwing to win the decathlon, a typically male-based competition that includes 10 events at the Summer Games.
Those events include 100 meters, 400 meters, 1500 meters, 110 meters, long jump, high jump, pole vault, discus throw, javelin throw and shotput.
Here's a breakdown and order of the combined events that take place in the men's decathlon.
What is a decathlon?
The decathlon is a competition between mainly men that consists of a total of 10 events. Women have the option to and have competed in the decathlon. However, there are no international competitions for women on the decathlon level. As a result, women typically compete in the heptathlon.
The first modernized version of the decathlon took place at the 1912 Summer Games in Stockholm.
The winner of the event is often described as the “World’s Greatest Athlete.” That moniker started in 1912 after Sweden’s Gustav declared that Olympic gold medalist Jim Thorpe was the greatest athlete in the world after winning the competition.
What events are in the decathlon?
The events in the decathlon include the 100 meters, 400 meters, 1500 meters, 110 meters, long jump, high jump, pole vault, discus throw, javelin throw and shotput.
How does a decathlon work in Olympics?
The 10 events in the decathlon are held over two days at the Summer Games. The 100 meters, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters take place on Day 1. The 110 meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500 meters take place on Day 2.
Olympians that compete in the decathlon are determined based on their performance in the events associated with the competition. The man who accrues the most overall points from the 10 events will win the all-around competition.
Each competitor earns points based on distance, height and time. The points are arranged into a decathlon table. To be eligible for decathlon ranking, the man must begin and make the trials in all 10 events.
Each event must include a minimal standard performance level that differentiates within each sport. For a man to record 1000 points in each event in the decathlon, he would have to produce the following results:
- 100 meters: 10.39 seconds
- Long jump: 7.76m
- Shot put: 18.40m
- High jump: 2.21m
- 400 meters: 46.17 seconds
- 110 meter hurdles: 13.80 seconds
- Discus: 56.17m
- Pole vault: 5.29m
- Javelin: 77.19m
- 1500 meters: 3:53.79
History of the decathlon in Olympics
The decathlon derived from the pentathlon, a five-discipline event that took place at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
The current decathlon, regarded as the ultimate all-around skills test, was established in 1911 before making its Summer Games debut at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden. Legendary Olympian Jim Thorpe captured the gold medal at the 1912 Summer Games.
Multiple countries such as Taiwan, China, Great Britain and most recently Canada have made significant waves in the decathlon competition. The first International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) record of the decathlon was notched by Estonia’s Aleksander Klumberg, who recorded 6087 points.
However, before Klumberg’s official scores, Thorpe had previously tallied 688 points and finished in the top four in each of the 10 events.Taiwan’s Yang Chuan-kwang is considered one of the all-time greatest decathletes.
While becoming Taiwan’s first goal medalist, he recorded a world record in scoring (9121 points), becoming the first athlete to eclipse 9000 points. However, when the decathlon scoring tables were modified in the 1960s—tables that are still used today—his score tabulated to 8010.
Other notable decathletes include Americans Russ Hodge, Dan O’Brien, Ashton Eaton, Great Britain’s Daley Thompson, Czech Republic’s Roman Sebrle and France’s Kevin Mayer to name a few.
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