Decathlon
Rules
Decathlon (heptathlon)— this is a sport that includes competitions in 10 types of athletics. Decathlon competitions are held in the summer season. Heptathlon competitions are held in the winter season. Competitions are held consecutively for two days (5 types per day). The result of each participant is determined by a combination of his results in separate types. There is a separate scoring system in each type (it is the result that is taken into account, not the place taken). These points are then added together to get the final score. The men’s heptathlon is held in the winter season and includes:
1 day: 60 m running, long jump, shot put, high jump
Day 2: 60 m hurdles, pole vault, 1000 m running.
On the first day of the decathlon, competitions are held in the 100 m running, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 m running. On the second day, athletes compete in the 110 m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500 m run. The interval between views should be at least 30 minutes. In the long jump, discus, javelin, and shot put, athletes have three attempts each. Otherwise, the rules of running and technical sports are not fundamentally different from the basic rules of athletics.
Scoring in each discipline is carried out according to the formula:
where
— the result expressed in the appropriate units of measurement;
— the coefficients shown in the table below.
and straight vertical brackets mean the absolute value of the number enclosed in them.
History
Modern athletics all-around dates back to the ancient Olympics, where athletes competed in a combination of several disciplines. The rules of the modern decathlon were developed in 1911. It was included in the Olympic Games program as a separate discipline in 1912. The points tables were revised in 1935, 1952 and 1962. The modern counting system was adopted at the IAAF Congress in Los Angeles in 1984.
Interesting facts
In 1912, Jim Thorpe (USA) won gold medals in the decathlon and pentathlon at the Stockholm Olympics. However, the IOC later stripped Thorpe of his gold medals. The reason was a formal violation of the status of an amateur athlete, since Thorpe played for a professional baseball team and received money for it. In 1982, the IOC officially returned him to the status of Olympic champion, since the decision on disqualification took place later than the official deadline of 30 days. There is a variant of the athletics extreme decathlon in 60 minutes, when all 10 types must be completed by an athlete in one hour
Records
Ashton Eaton from the USA 9039 points on June 24, 2012
