What are the ten events that make up the decathlon? | Reference.com What are the ten events that make up the decathlon? A: Quick Answer The ten events that make up the decathlon are spread over two days and include the 100-meter sprint, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400-meter run on the first day, followed by the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500-meter run on the second day. Points are awarded for each event, and the competitor with the highest aggregate score is declared the winner. Full Answer The decathlon made its first Olympic appearance at the 1912 Games in Stockholm. This men's event challenges competitors to perform at their best in a wide range of track-and-field events that test for power, speed, agility and endurance to determine the best all-around athlete. As of 2014, the youngest man to take the Olympic decathlon title is Bob Mathias, an American who was just 17 years old when he won the event in 1948. He competed at the next Olympics in 1952 and became a two-time decathlon champion.

Competition for the women's all-around title began with the 1984 Olympics, when the seven-event heptathlon was introduced. This comparable event, which is also staged over two days, consists of the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter run on the first day followed by the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter run on the second day. Women's Javelin Throw World Records Women's Javelin Throw World Records Women's Javelin Throw World Records Allsport UK/Allsport/Getty Images/Getty Images Sport Share By Mike Rosenbaum The javelin throw is a fairly old sport in modern women’s track and field history, as women began competing in the event around the early 1900s. Javelin is the second-oldest women’s Olympic throwing event, having entered Olympic competition in 1932, four years after the discus, but 16 years before the shot put and 68 years before the hammer throw.

Pre-Olympic Javelin Throw Records: During its pre-Olympic years, different organizations sponsored women’s track and field events, and different jurisdictions compiled women’s track and field statistics, so accurate world records are difficult to determine. It’s clear that most, if not all of the top javelin throwers in the early 1920s were from Czechoslovakia. Marie Majzlikova threw the spear 24.95 meters (81 feet, 10 inches) on July 22, 1922, then four other Czech women threw progressively farther over the next four years. Frantiska Vlachova and Kamila Olmerova both recorded throws measuring 27.30/89-6 in 1923, a distance that wasn’t matched for three years. continue reading below our video What Size Bike Should I Buy? Americans took charge of the javelin lists in 1926-7. Pauline Hascup recorded the first known 30-meter toss, flying past that then-magic mark to reach 33.07/108-6 in June 1926.

Fellow American Lillian Copeland passed the 35-meter mark and eventually reached 38.21/125-4 in February 1927. Javelin supremacy soon moved back across the Atlantic, to Germany, where it remained almost exclusively until 1932. Germans Guschi Hargus and Elisabeth Schumann traded the unoffical world mark back and forth in 1928-29, then fellow German Thea Kurze increased the standard to 39.01/127.11 in June of 1930. Javelin honors went back and forth between Germany and the U.S. in the early 1930s. American Babe Didrikson, the initial women’s Olympic javelin champion, was also the first known woman to crack the 40-meter mark, throwing 40.68/133-5 in July 1930, but Schumann threw 42.32/138.10 just a month later, then raised the mark to 44.64/146-5 in June 1932.

Later in June, however, American Nan Gindele threw 46.75/153-4 in Chicago, a plateau that wasn’t challenged for six years. By that time, the IAAF had become the supervisory body for women’s track and field worldwide. IAAF Era: Another German, Erika Matthes, threw 47.80/156-9 in 1938. After the World War II years, progress continued as Lyudmila Anokina of the Soviet Union unleashed the first recorded 50-meter throw, at 50.27/164-11, in September 1947, although countrywoman Klavdiya Mayuchaya quickly edged past her with a toss measuring 50.32/165-1. Another Soviet thrower, Natalya Smirnitskaya, gained the now-official world record by throwing 53.41/175-2 in 1949.

Her mark stood until Nadezhda Konyayeva, also from the USSR, broke the record three times in 1954, reaching 55.48/182-0 in August. The Soviets briefly lost their hold on the record in 1958, when Dana Zatopkova of Czechoslovakia (55.73/182-10), then Australia’s Anna Pazera (57.40/188-3) topped the all-time list, but Birute Zalogaityte put the USSR back on top late in the year by throwing 57.49/188-7. Elvira Ozolina was the next great Soviet thrower, breaking the record four times from 1960-64, shattering the 60-meter mark and reaching 61.38/201-4 in 1964. Yelena Gorchakova improved the record to 62.40/204-8 later in 1964, a mark that stood for eight years.

Ewa Gryziecka of Poland ended the Soviet dynasty by throwing 62.70/205-8 on June 11, 1972, but she only held the record for a few minutes before East Germany’s Ruth Fuchs reached 65.06/213-5. Fuchs dominated women’s javelin in the 1970s, earning Olympic gold medals in 1972 and 1976, and setting a total of six world records. Her reign was interrupted by American Kate Schmidt, who threw a world record 69.32/227-5 in 1977 and held the world mark for almost two years. But Fuchs regained the top spot and eventually reached 69.96/229-6 in 1980. Tatyana Biryulina of the Soviet Union threw the first official 70-meter toss, reaching 70.08/229-11 in July 1980.

The record improved steadily over the next few years, with Bulgaria’s Antoaneta Todorova and Sofia Sakorafa of Greece breaking the mark once each, and Finland’s Tiina Lillak beating it twice. East Germany’s Petra Felke passed the 75-meter mark twice during a June 4, 1985 meet in Schwerin, reaching 75.40/247-4. Great Britain’s Fatima Whitbread surged by Felke at 77.44/254-0 in 1986, but Felke broke the record two more times, reaching 80 meters even (262-5) in 1988. Re-Designed Javelin: Felke, the 1988 Olympic champion, was the final recognized women’s record-holder before the javelin was redesigned for women in the late 1990s. The spear’s center of gravity was moved forward, causing the nose to drop faster and limiting the javelin’s distance so it wouldn’t fly out of standard stadium throwing areas.

Greece’s Mirela Manjani-Tzelili was the first recognized record-holder with the new javelin, on a toss measuring 67.09/220-1 at the 1999 World Championships in Spain. Norway’s Trine Solberg-Hattestad then enjoyed a big year 2000 as she broke the record twice, topping out at 69.48/227-11 at the Bislett Games, then earned an Olympic gold in Sydney. The 2004 Olympic champion, Osleidys Menendez of Cuba, set world javelin marks in 2001 and 2005, peaking at 71.70/235-2 at the Helsinki World Championships. Shortly after Barbora Spotakova took the gold at the 2008 Olympics, the Czech Republic thrower set the latest world record with a toss measuring 72.28/237-1 on her first attempt during the World Athletic Final in Stuttgart, Germany. Interestingly, no women’s world javelin throwing record has ever been set at the Olympics.

Felke owned the Olympic record of 74.68/245-0 with the old javelin, while Menendez holds the recognized current mark at 71.53/234-8. Read more about the javelin: What Is the Olympic Decathlon? A Brief Overview By Mike Rosenbaum Updated October 12, 2016. Jim Thorpe was dubbed “the world’s greatest athlete” after winning the 1912 Olympic decathlon . Athletes compete for the Olympic decathlon title today by competing in 10 events in a grueling, two-day schedule. An Overview of Decathlon Events The men’s decathlon consists of ten events held over two consecutive days. The first day’s events include, in order, a 100-meter run, the long jump , shot put, high jump and a 400-meter run. The second day’s events, in order, include the 110-meter hurdles followed by the discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and a 1500-meter run. Decathlon vs.

Heptathlon Contrary to popular belief, there is a women's decathlon event sponsored by the IAAF, the International Association of Athletics Federations, the sponsoring organization for the Olympics and for all other elite level track and field events worldwide. However, while it has been urged to do so, it has not allowed a women's decathlon event at any recent Olympics. continue reading below our video How to Throw a Perfect Curve Ball in Baseball Instead, female Olympic athletes compete for the heptathlon, a seven-event contest that consists of the 100-meter hurdles, the 200-meter sprint, the 800-meter run, the shot put, javelin, long jump and high jump. The Decathlon Rules The rules for each event within the decathlon are generally the same as for the individual events themselves, although with a few exceptions. Most notably, runners in the decathlon sprint and hurdles events are disqualified after two false starts rather than after a single false start. This particular rule change in the Olympic non-decathlon events -- from one allowed false to none has been widely and passionately criticized.

The Decathlon Association (DECA) resisted this change, but did rule that any false start by a single athlete is charged to the entire field. The significance of this is that although the next false start may be that athlete's first, he will nevertheless be disqualified. This rule change has also been criticized. The Decathlon Association has also ruled that competitors receive only three attempts in throwing and jumping events . Also, competitors cannot skip any event. Failing to attempt any event results in disqualification. This rule, too, has its detractors; it has been pointed out that any athlete who may want to skip an event that he has no chance of medalling in -- in order, for instance, to conserve energy for another event -- can simply make some token effort at the beginning of the event he wishes to skip, then drop out with an "injury" or for any other plausible reason. Equipment and Venue Each decathlon event takes place in the same venue, and uses the same equipment, as its individual Olympic Games counterpart. Check the links below for more details on each decathlon event. What is Olympic Distance Running? Gold, Silver and Bronze Athletes in the decathlon must first achieve an Olympic qualifying score to compete for their nation’s Olympic team .

A maximum of three competitors per country may compete in the decathlon. Points are awarded to each athlete according to his time or distance, not his placement in the field, according to rather complicated pre-set formulas. If there is a tie in points after 10 events, the victory goes to the competitor who outscored his rival in ​a greater number of events. If that tiebreaker also results in a draw, the victory goes to the decathlete who scored the most points in any single event. Decathlon: How do decathletes get started doing the event? - Quora Quora Track and Field Decathlon: How do decathletes get started doing the event? It seems like their performances in any individual event aren't that spectacular, and there aren't many multi-event competitions in middle school or high school Probably more details than you really wanted, but here goes. There are two ways that young athletes get started in the multi-events. The first is to simply enter in a decathlon or heptathlon competition in a meet that has it available. Most of these events do not require qualifying marks, so first-timers are encouraged to compete. Unfortunately, there are very few of these meets.

Aside from the meets related to Junior Olympics and Junior Nationals (which require qualifying marks), there are only about two or three multi-event meets per year for high-schoolers. Even worse, you often have to go out of your way to discover these meets because they are not sanctioned by regular high school sports federations. It's very difficult for a high schooler to effectively train for a multi unless they have a private coach. There just isn't enough time during the average week of high school practice to get balanced training in every event... and that's assuming the athlete is at a school with coaches who are knowledgeable in all events. There is also the issue of the javelin, which is only a santioned event in 13 of the 50 US States. Very few high school coaches have the knowledge, implements or facilities to properly train for it. In recent years, two of my athletes have done heptathlons, one of whom qualified for Junior Nationals with a mark of 4200 points. I take minimal credit for her success. The credit mostly goes to her private coach Rob Jarvis, who has coached many elite athletes, including Olympic gold medallist decathlete Bryan Clay.

The second way to get started in a multi-event is to be recruited for it by a college coach. While college coaches often recruit the kids with multi-event experience, I've noticed that many college and professional athletes were converted to heptathletes/decathletes from other events. Every coach who converts an athlete has specific qualities they look for. Some look for high achievers in two or three events, such as a high jumper who can also hurdle or a long jumper who also throws shot put and discus. Some look strictly at body type. Some just like someone who is a great all-around athlete, which was the case with my former teammate Matt Blair, a former soccer player who never ran track in high school, but became a 7300-point decathlete in college. It really varies. One thing I would like to challenge is the idea (mentioned in the details) that multi-event athletes are merely average in multiple events. To the contrary, most of them are exceptional in at least one event, above average in a few, and below average in one or two. Multi athletes need a strong event, not just for the dependable boost in points during the 2-day competition, but also for the confidence boost.

For example, my college coach, Chris Huffins, was an Olympic bronze medallist in the decathlon in the 2000 Olympics. He jumped 8.07m (26' 5") in the long jump. 8.07 in the long jump would be one of the top 20 marks in the world at this point in 2012. By all means that is an elite mark. This is especially true in the heptathlon. It's not uncommon for elite heptathletes to be among the best in the world in one of the seven hep events. Reigning US heptathlon champion Sharon Day (PR of 6177) also made the Olympic team in the high jump in 2008 (PR- 1.95m/6-4.75 ). Jackie Joyner-Kersee won Olympic gold in the heptathlon and long jump in the 1988 Olympics. She is the world record holder in the heptathlon and is also one of the top five long jumpers of all time.

2008 Olympic silver medallist Hyleas Fountain is not just an elite heptathlete, but she is also one of the top ten long jumpers in the world. In my opinion, in order to succeed in the multis, an athlete needs at least one strong event. Written Oct 18, 2013 · Upvoted by Aaron Ellis , Coached High School Track for 10 Years Speaking as a former Decathlete and college Multis coach, most successful decathletes are transitioned to the event at the collegiate level. Unfortunately, due to lack of true understanding of the event, for many programs a Decathlete is formed from a guy not able to score in conference in an individual event, but shows resilience and promise (and/or size) enough to finish a decathlon and potentially score in the relatively low standards of most conferences. There is, however, a reason most decathletes at the national level continually come from the same schools. There are a few, but growing, number of Coaches that understand how to train a Multi, and Programs willing to put in resources (and patience) needed to build a Decathlete.

These coaches look for first and foremost speed, size, and a resilience both physically as well as mentally to hold up to the training necessary. Arguably the most successful recent Decathlete who was more of a jack of all trades, blue collar, "mediocre" track athlete is 2x NCAA Champion, University of Arizona walk-on pole vaulter Jake Arnold (but I'd out his mental resolve up against anyone). The Bryan Clay, Ashton Eaton, and Trey Hardees of the event were phenomenal high school athletes, but did not compete in the decathlon until college. Bryan was actually turned on to the event by the earlier mention Chris Huffins (who saw him win 6 events at the Hawaiian State Meet). There are exceptions of high school phenoms in the decathlon, like Curtis Beach and Gunnar Nixon along with some before them, but these have had very significant personalized coaching. Also, freakish credentials in at least one event (Beach in 800m, Nixon in HJ). Not many of these "types" have made it beyond college track and field successfully. To sum it up: decathletes come from phenomenal athletes with fantastic mindsets and great (intelligent) coaching.

The later is difficult to find or have time for at the high school level. Most coaches I know of would much rather take a fast football/basketball guy with height who has dabbled in the jumps and hurdles over a kid taking on an event he doesn't understand too early - this leads to development of improper habits, injuries, and burnout. For young athletes that ask me about becoming a Decathlete I tell them to play football/soccer/basketball in the off season, sprint, play with a jump or two, and run the relays. Become an athlete first, Decathlon can come later. The throws can be taught, speed and strength to some degree, height and mindset even less. Decathlon Sports - Decathlon Event Decathlon Sports - Decathlon Event An athletic event combining 10 track and field events contested by the male athletes in two consecutive days. The winner of the decathlon is titled the world’s greatest athlete for the year. Decathlon Decathlon sports are an ultimate test of an athlete’s speed, strength, agility and endurance.

Decathlon is a two-day track and field meet that encompasses 10 individual athletic sport events -- 100-meters, 400-meters, 1500-meters, 110-meter high hurdles, javelin, discus, shot put, pole vault, high jump, and long jump. The decathletes need to stay concentrated and focused during the entire 10 games in order to win. The decathlon is an endeavor against time, distance, fatigue and endurance. In reality, a decathlon athlete competes against himself and the scoring table. It takes what coaches refer to as ‘decathlon mentality’ – an ability to remain keyed up for each attempt or race and stay focused throughout the ten events. A decathlon athlete tries to capitalize on his strengths to maximize the total score Decathlon History Decathlon sprouted from the ancient game pentathlon. Pentathlon is a game that was played at the ancient Greek Olympics. Pentathlons involved five games – long jump, discus throw, javelin, sprint and a wrestling match. Introduced in Olympia during 708 BC, the game was extremely popular for many centuries.

By the 6th century BC, pentathlons became part of religious games. Gorgos, from Elis town near Olympia was a four-time pentathlon winner during the period. Another key player was Lampis, a young Spartan who was the first Olympic winner. Automedes was also a known player of the time. The last recorded game winner was Publius Asklepiades of Corinth in AD 241. Roman Emperor Theodosius I officially put an end to the game in AD 393 by closing down all the sanctuaries including Olympia. From the mid 1700s various versions of the game emerged. The 1948 Olympics endorsed a new implication to the game. Seventeen-year-old Mathias emerged as the then decathlon winner, banishing the myth that decathlon was a game for the old and the experienced. Mathias still remains the youngest decathlon sports champion in Olympic history. In 1964 the International Amateur Athletic Federation laid out new scoring tables and brought about some standardization in the game. The 1970s saw the game spreading to the Eastern European nations, mainly the Soviet Union, Poland and East Germany.

Decathlon Sports Decathlon is essentially a male sports event. The female version is a seven-event sport called heptathlon. Decathlon sports comprise 10 events played over two days. At a professional level, players need to score a minimum of 8000 points at a rate of 800 points per game in order to win in a decathlon. It is necessary to be comfortable while performing the event, you can find sports store for decathlon to get proper equipment. It is seldom that decathlon sports are won with a score below 8000 points. Decathlon sports attained Olympic status at the 1912 Olympic games held at Stockholm. The winner of the decathlon is titled the world’s greatest athlete for the year. Jim Thrope won the first decathlon Olympics title. The scores for each game are maintained according to the international performance table. A participant can win up to 1000 points in a particular event. The person who chalks up the highest score wins the title. Additional points are awarded each time an athlete exceeds the established world record for any category event. The Decathlon Schedule FIRST DAY – 1.

100 meter dash – Three to eight runners participate in the event which is a basic measure for leg speed. 2. Long jump – The toe board is 8-inch high. Criteria for winning are leaping ability, speed and accuracy. 3. Shot put – The throwing circle is seven feet wide and the iron ball weighs 16-pounds. The best of three scores is considered. The event is a test of a player’s arm strength. 4. High jump – The crossbar is raised at 3 cm and the landing pit is made of foam rubber. 5. 400 meter dash – The event is a test for stamina and speed. SECOND DAY – 1. 110m Hurdles – The event is a combination of speed and agility. There are 10 hurdles, each 42 inches high, placed at 10 yards from one another. 2. Discus Throw – The discus weighs 2 kilograms and is 82.5 inches in diameter. The contestant has to throw the discus within a 40-degree sector. 3. Pole Vault - The pole is 14 to 15 feet long.

Each player has to swing over a crossbar using the upper end of the pole. This is the most difficult of all events. 4. Javelin Throw - The metal spear is 8 ½ inches long and weights 800 grams. The javelin must land point first within the sector in order to qualify. Each contestant gets three throws and the best one is taken into consideration. 5. 1500 meter run – This constitutes 3 ¾ laps around the 400-meter track. It is a test of the player’s endurance and will power. Decathlon Rules The decathlon rules differ between tournaments. Check out the rulebooks that govern the different levels in decathlon sports: International meets Interest rises in decathlon, heptathlon; Central Oregon track stars try out multi-events Interest rises in decathlon, heptathlon Central Oregon track stars try out multi-events By Grant Lucas , The Bulletin, @GrantDLucas Published Mar 31, 2015 at 12:05AM / Updated Mar 31, 2015 at 06:00AM Not long ago, he was just a wiry Central Oregon senior competing in relative obscurity.

He was a state champion in the 400-meter run and the long jump, a Mountain View star yet only a lightly recruited track and field athlete. But during that senior season, at a meet in Salem, Dan Steele took notice of the young man from Central Oregon. Then the University of Oregon decathlon coach, Steele homed in on the athleticism of Ashton Eaton. “We had no idea,” Steele recalled in 2008, “he was sitting on this much untapped potential.” Eaton’s rise as the world’s top decathlete is well-documented. At Oregon, he won three straight NCAA decathlon championships. In 2012, he set a world record with 9,039 points at the Olympic Trials, then went on to win the gold medal at the London Games. Which got Dave Turnbull, and other Central Oregon high school track and field coaches, to wonder as Steele had: How many other kids are out there who possess undiscovered potential? Decathlon — a 10-event competition that, along with the seven-event heptathlon, had formerly produced household names in the United State such as Bruce Jenner and Jackie Joyner-Kersee — had faded over the years.

Along came Eaton, who leapt to the forefront to help the sport return to the limelight. Just take a look at the Summit Decathlon-Heptathlon meet this past weekend, when more than 40 high school athletes tested their mettle at Summit High in one of most mentally and physically grueling challenges in sports. “I think it’s growing incrementally. I don’t think it’s an explosion of interest. But there’s more kids now talking about it than there ever have been,” says Turnbull, the longtime Storm coach who took over the unique multi-event competition after it had been hosted by Sweet Home High School since 1980. “Ashton has allowed us to take a different viewpoint towards the kids. Instead of saying, ‘You are a hurdler’ or ‘You’re a 400-meter runner,’ let’s test your athleticism and see what kind of athlete you are. The beauty of the heptathlons and the decathlons is they test that.” Also, they help coaches — and potentially college recruiters — discover hidden gems. After all, Turnbull notes, Central Oregon has become a hot spot for track and field multi-event talent.

Not long after Eaton gained worldwide fame at the Olympics, another Mountain View grad, Mitch Modin, began his career as a decathlete at Oregon. Last season, Summit’s Miranda Brown placed a respectable 13th at the New Balance Nationals Outdoor heptathlon championships in North Carolina. Because the Oregon School Activities Association does not sanction the heptathlon or decathlon for the high school track and field season, however, there are few opportunities for coaches — or even prep athletes themselves — to identify multi-event capabilities. Enter Al Tarpenning, who helped jump-start the annual Sweet Home Decathlon/Heptathlon in the early 1980s. And upon the resignation last fall of longtime Sweet Home coach Billy Snow, who was unsure the event would continue when he stepped away, enter the Summit Heptathlon-Decathlon helmed by Turnbull, who jumped fast at the opportunity to continue the meet. “I was as quick as I could be,” Turnbull recalls.

“Once I found out that it may not be going, I thought that would be a huge disservice to … well, the number of kids (more than 40) who came out (to the Summit competition).” Among them were a few Central Oregon multi-event first-timers, including yet another Mountain View athlete who had never heard of the decathlon until Eaton. Funny, considering Eaton had never heard of the decathlon until Steele, the UO decathlon coach, suggested it to the former Cougar. “Ashton Eaton and Mitch (Modin) kind of motivated me, just them being Mountain View grads,” says Dantly Wilcox, a Mountain View senior who placed fifth at the Summit meet with 5,740 points — a qualifying mark for this summer’s New Balance Nationals Outdoor. “To see the success they had … we’re not similar athletes but we have similar qualities.” Turnbull points to Wilcox as a prime example of a decathlete simply needing an opportunity to flourish. As Turnbull puts it: “There’s a kid who really could be a decathlete, but without an opportunity to experience that, he’ll probably never envision himself as a decathlete. And maybe he could be a great one.

“I personally believe,” the coach continues, “that if there’s an opportunity for us to host something like this, I don’t care if 10 kids show up. If it’s good for those 10 kids, we’re going to do it.” Competing in her first heptathlon was Summit sophomore Camille Weaver, who not only was persuaded by Turnbull to enter the meet just a few days earlier but learned the ins and outs of three field events she had never competed in before. She did not intend to take the meet too seriously. So Weaver messed around and piled up a winning total of 4,005 points — a record for the young Summit multi-events program, and just 195 points off the national-qualifying mark. Weaver never considered herself a multi-event athlete. Sure, she was a hurdler and a long- and triple-jumper. But the performance she put together over the weekend opened a window to a potentially bright future. “It was more laid-back than I thought it would be,” Weaver says. “Maybe next time, I’ll take it more serious. Maybe that will change things.” About that window.

“With these high school kids, their window to the world is literally looking out of a 3-by-5(-foot) window,” Turnbull says. “This opportunity broadens their horizons. That window’s getting a little bit bigger. Maybe now they’re looking through a sliding glass door, looking at the opportunities as athletes in the realm of track and field to go out and do something and make your mark.” As a high school athlete at Mountain View in the 1980s, Turnbull himself was multitalented. For a few years, he held the state record in the high jump at more than 7 feet. He recalls marks of 24 feet in the long jump and 48 feet in the triple jump while posting a time of 10.8 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Perhaps he could have thrived as a respectable decathlete. That is, had an opportunity arose. Yet another reason why the Summit coach wanted to continue this long-standing multi-event competition. “If I knew there was a decathlon in Bend, Oregon,” he says, “I would have been here in a heartbeat.” The popularity of heptathlons and decathlons is continuing to rise, Turnbull notes.

Weaver has noticed. So has Wilcox. Not only do these events allow athletes to uncover an unidentified talent, they also offer athletes an extra chance to train in the events they specialize in during the regular season, to get more reps. These competitions also help train those athletes mentally, as Wilcox points out. In his decathlon, Wilcox needed to quickly move on, forget about his performance — incredible or inadequate — in the previous event and move on. That’s the approach he will take into each sprint race. Weaver and Wilcox — as well as Summit’s Claire Christensen, who was second in the Summit heptathlon meet, and the Storm’s Miranda Brown, to name a few — are among the rising crop of multi-event talents in Central Oregon. They are the gems that these rare heptathlons and decathlons have dug up from the dunes. They did more than put their athleticism, stamina and mental fortitude to the test this past weekend. They faced failure. And they stared it down. “I don’t know what we have in this culture right now (but) we have a real fear of failure,” Turnbull says.

“Well an opportunity like a heptathlon or a decathlon, you’re going to face failure. I think the more we can get kids to face failure, the better they’re going to be, the stronger athletes they’re going to be. I just want more opportunities. If we can offer more opportunities, we’re going to discover talent.” Decathlon | iaaf.org Decathlon Decathlon How it works This is the men’s ultimate all-round test, a 10-event contest covering the whole range of athletics disciplines spread over two days. Competitors earn points for their performance in each discipline and the overall winner is the man who accrues the most points. The first day consists of (in order): 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. The second day’s events are 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m. History The forerunner of the modern decathlon was the pentathlon, a regular feature of the Ancient Olympics that comprised the long jump, discus, javelin, sprint and wrestling.

Various versions of the event re-emerged in the 19th century to determine all-around prowess and a combined events competition was held at the 1904 Olympic Games. But the first decathlon that resembles the current format was held in 1911, with the inaugural Olympic Games decathlon – famously won by the legendary Jim Thorpe – taking place a year later in Stockholm. There is also an official world record for the women's decathlon but this is not contested at major championships. Did you know The scoring tables that determine how a many points a performance is worth have actually been adjusted six times since they were established in 1912, because of athletes' ever-improving abilities, equipment changes and to equate the events more accurately. The changes happened in 1920, 1934, 1950, 1962, 1977 (to take account of the growing use of electronic timing) and, most recently, 1985.

Gold standard Ashton Eaton's victory at the 2012 Olympics was the 13th decathlon gold medal for the USA, who have been the most dominant nation in the event by a long way as no other country has won more than two gold medals. In similar fashion, the USA has been the most successful nation at the IAAF World Championships with nine gold medals in 15 editions. Rico Freimuth in the decathlon discus at the IAAF World Championships, Beijing 2015 (Getty Images) © Copyright Icons Bob Mathias Mathias was just 17 when he won the Olympic title in 1948, and he still remains the youngest ever winner of an Olympic decathlon medal. Four years later in Helsinki, after setting his first world record in 1950, he won by the astonishing margin of 912 points with a world record tally of 7887 to become the first man to successfully defend an Olympic decathlon title. Later in life, he became a successful politician and served eight years as a congressman in the US House of Representatives. He died in 2006 at the age of 75.

Decathlon men Outdoor All time 1 Decathlon women Outdoor All time 1 California Academic Decathlon Website ● What is the contact information? What is the California Academic Decathlon program? The California Academic Decathlon partners with the education community and California county/district offices of education to provide an effective academic enrichment program in which ninth through twelfth grade students compete as individuals and as team members in a series of ten academic tests and demonstrations that are based on an advanced curriculum. The purpose is to encourage, acknowledge and reward academic excellence by preparing and motivating high school students to achieve at a significantly advanced level through highly-competitive, cross-disciplined scholastic events. The competition components are Art, Music, Language & Literature, Social Science, Science, Mathematics, Economics, Speech, Interview and Essay. Is it a new program? The Academic Decathlon originated in Orange County in 1968. How did the Academic Decathlon begin? In 1968, a gifted educator and Superintendent of Schools in Orange County, Dr. Robert D. Peterson, put in place a local academic competition for high school students.

The idea was to provide a forum for celebrating and acknowledging scholastic achievement and academic excellence in the context of a team environment much like high school sports. Dr. Peterson's idea proved to be so successful that it began catching on and eventually spread to other counties, culminating in the formation of the California Academic Decathlon Association in 1979. As other states became interested in competing, the United States Academic Decathlon was birthed in 1982, and has since grown into the premier scholastic competition in America. Is the program only for "A" students? Quite the contrary, a nine-member Academic Decathlon team is required to have three categories of grade point averages, including three "C" students (2.99 or below). The experience impacts all of the students' lives, but the most dramatic change is typically seen in the inevitable improvement of the "C" students. How has California performed at the national level? Since its inception in 1982, the California state champion has come in first or second place every year at nationals except for in 1992. In 27 years of national competition, California has placed first place 15 times and second place 11 times.

It has placed in the top two every year but one (1992). California currently holds the highest team score in the nation (2008: 53,119.4 points) and is currently the National Champions for the last 6 years! (5/08). How is the California Academic Decathlon Association funded? The Decathlon is indebted to the generous contributions of the following (partial list): How many teams are there? There is an average of thirty-nine counties, two districts, and more than 500 high schools (many with multiple teams) involved across the state. The county/district winners plus an additional number of at-large teams invited by CAD make up the 60 schools that will compete at the state championship in March every year. CAD continues to expand its program and welcomes interested businesses, organizations and corporations willing to partner with CAD and help make the Academic Decathlon experience available to students in every high school in California. What awards are given? Olympic style Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are presented to the top three students in each category in every event. Medals are also awarded to overall individual winners in each of three divisions. Team awards are presented to the top three Super Quiz teams.

The top three overall teams are presented with Division Awards. Many of the county programs offer scholarships to winning individuals and CAD awards various scholarships to graduating seniors who demonstrate financial barriers that prevent them from attending college. What is the contact information? You may contact Ken Scarberry, CAD Executive Director, for further information. The mailing address is:

Question: How many sports are there in a decathlon?
Answer: 10