Decathlon Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin, from δέκα ("déka", meaning "ten") and ἄθλος ("áthlos", or ἄθλον, "áthlon", meaning "contest" or “prize”). Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not by the position achieved. The decathlon is contested mainly by male athletes, while female athletes typically compete in the heptathlon. Traditionally, the title of "World's Greatest Athlete" has been given to the person
Decathlon event. The "% Difference" column shows the percentage difference between the time, distance or height of the individual world record and the decathlon record (other than the "Total" entry, which shows the percentage difference between awarded decathlon points). The relative differences in points are much higher in throwing events than in running and jumping events. Decathlon bests are only recognised when an athlete completes the ten-event competition with a score over 7,000 points. Decathlon The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin, from δέκα ("déka", meaning