Decathlon

Decathlon, track and field event consisting of ten separate contests held on two consecutive days, considered by many to be the ultimate test of an athlete's overall skills. Points are awarded for the competitor's effort in each event, and the overall score determines the winner. The decathlon is a premier track and field event for men in the Summer Olympics and is also included in many national and world championships. The equivalent event for women is the demanding seven-event heptathlon, also held over two days (see Track and Field: Decathlon and Heptathlon).

The decathlon tests both speed and strength. On the first day of competition the athletes compete in the 100-m (109-yd) dash, the long jump, the shot put, the high jump, and the 400-m (437-yd) run. On the second day there is the 110-m (120-yd) hurdle race, the discus throw, the pole vault, and the javelin throw; the competition ends with the grueling 1500-m (1640-yd) run. The entrants receive predetermined amounts of points, ranging up to 1000 per event, for reaching certain distances, heights, and times in the events. Outstanding performers score more than 8000 points.

The decathlon was first included in the Olympic Games at Stockholm, Sweden, in 1912, when it was won by Jim Thorpe of the United States. In 1913 his victories were disallowed after the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) learned that he had played semiprofessional baseball, but his gold medal was reinstated by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1982. Two-time decathlon winners at the Olympics include Bob Mathias of the United States, in 1948 and 1952, and Daley Thompson of the United Kingdom, in 1980 and 1984.

Reviewed by: USA Track & Field