A success story since 1975
The first edition of the combined event meeting was characterized by great enthusiasm of the athletes and team captains regarding the organization and the warm atmosphere.
Numerous records followed - and on May 27, 2001 spectacular athletics history was made in Götzis. The Czech athlete Roman Sebrle achieved a legendary score of 9.026 points in the decathlon - the first men ever to score over 9.000 points and a world record which stood for 11 years. In October 2018, Kevin Mayer (FRA) won the combined events meeting in Talence with an incredible score of 9.126 points, making him the new world record holder.
The winner of a decathlon traditionally gets the title of "World's Greatest Athlete". The different events are held over two consecutive days. The combined performance is determined by adding up the points of the individual events which are calculated by a distinct formula.
The modern decathlon first appeared at the Olympic games in 1912 and consists of the following events:
The current decathlon world record holder is Frenchman Kevin Mayer, who scored a total of 9.126 points.
The heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest for women and the equivalent to the men's decathlon. The different events are held over two consecutive days. The combined performance is determined by adding up the points of the individual events.
The heptathlon has been contested since 1981 and consists of the following events:
The 7.291 points achieved by Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) at the Olympic Games in Seoul 1988 are still valid.