decathlon

a classic track-and-field event for men, consisting of ten track-and-field events. Competition in the decathlon lasts two days: the first day consists of the 100 m dash, the broad jump, the shot put, the high jump, and the 400 m dash; the second day consists of the 110 m hurdles, the discus throw, the pole vault, the javelin throw, and the 1,500 m run. The winner is determined by the sum of points earned in all ten events; the number of points awarded in each area of the program is determined by a special table.

In 1970, W. Toomey of the United States set a world record of 8,417 points on the basis of the 1962 scoring system: 100 m dash, 10.3 sec (986 points); long jump, 7.76 m (972). shot put, 14.38 m (751); high jump, 193 cm (796); 400 m dash, 47.1 sec (943); 110 m hurdles, 14.3 sec (926); the discus throw, 46.49 m (809); pole vault 427 cm (876); javelin throw, 65.74 m (830); and 1,500 m run, 4 min 39.4 sec (528). In 1958-59 the Soviet athlete V. Kuznetsov held the world record in the decathlon.

The Olympic Games first included the decathlon in 1912, and since then it has been a standard event in all important track-and-field meets.