decathlon: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Bruce Jenner celebrating his decathlon victory at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.

Rafer Johnson wearing a USA jersey prepares to throw the shot put during the decathlon at the 1960 Rome Olympics, with a stadium crowd in the background.

Ashton Eaton of the United States, wearing a blue uniform, leaps over a hurdle during the men's decathlon 110m hurdles at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

See All Images →

Topics

400-meter race pole vault shot put long jump discus throw 100-meter race 1,500-meter race 110-meter hurdles high jump javelin throw weight throw hammer throw pentathlon triple jump heptathlon running Olympics: Athletics

Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

athletics: Decathlon and heptathlon

Key People

The greatest American athlete

Jim Thorpe

American athlete

Ashton Eaton

Ashton Eaton

American decathlete

Rafer Johnson

Rafer Johnson

American athlete and actor

default image

Paavo Yrjölä: The Farmhand

Finnish athlete

Caitlyn Jenner stands at a microphone in a white dress, accepting the Arthur Ashe award for courage at the ESPY Awards, with a colorful blurred background behind her.

Caitlyn Jenner

American athlete

Bob Mathias

Bob Mathias

American athlete

Daley Thompson executing his long jump en route to successfully defending his Olympic decathlon title at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.

Daley Thompson

British athlete

Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.

American Sports Nicknames

Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, front, is greeted at the finish line after teaming with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz to win the first Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in 62 years for Team USA ,(cont)

The Olympic Games