Individual Athletes that competed in the decathlon

[dbirds]

French triple jumper Benjamin Compaore just competed in Talence. Over the years, dozens of athletes (Roger Kingdom, Andre Phillips, etc etc) have mentioned trying a decathlon but few have ever done it. I know Brian Oldfield tried one in the 1970s. What other individual event US athletes have tried a decathlon? (I know several European pole vaulters have attempted one but I don't see this happening much in the US)

[EastBayprepoftheweek67]

If you categorize "individual athletes" as ones good enough in an event to be world ranked, then it was not so uncommon in the past (50+ years ago) for US world ranked decathletes to be also world ranked "individual athletes."
Some, with at least some of their World ranked individual events:
Bob Richards- PV
Bob Mathias- HH, Discus
Floyd Simmons- HH, Jav
Milt Campbell- HH
Rafer Johnson- LJ
Bill Albans- HH
Lloyd Duff- HH
Moon Mondschein- HJ

[kuha]

After the '72 games, I remember Jan Johnson talking about the decathlon. I presume he actually did complete at least a couple of them.

[tandfman]

Harold Osborn won Olympic gold medals in the high jump and the decathlon

Tim Bright was world and US ranked in both the pole vault and the decathlon.

[DecFan]

I think - and please correct me if I'm wrong - that all those mentioned were decathletes early in their careers, and also competed at a very high level in an individual event or two. I think dbirds was asking about a different trajectory: Are there US athletes other than Oldfield who achieved US/world ranking in an individual event, and then afterwards attempted and did pretty well in a decathlon?

[gh]

Pretty sure that Oldfield's foray into the decathlon came in the years between his collegiate career and his reemergence as a world-class putter, like in the late '60s. Also thinking it wasn't good enough to make the U.S. list, so "did pretty well" perhaps a bit of an overstatement.

[bushop]

I remember reading a long time ago on the www, that either Reidel or Schult (?) threw around 66m in a Deca, but only scored around 6200 points, so his mark never was really counted. I have recently been unable to verify this mark.

Juergen Schult has, in 1994 in Schwerin, was a fun decathlon that included a few throwers.

[jmd]

Hi,

In 1976, Guy Drut, the French Olympic champion on 110m hurdles, was in Talence
for the first edition of what was to become the decastar !
He has promised to participate to this decathlon if he was Olympic champion in Montreal !
He ranked 5th after having set the best performance on 110m hurdles while a young
man, Daley Thompson, beat the junior world record !

In 1994, Heike Dreschler won the heptatlon.

Another French Olympic champion, Jean Galfione was present in 1996 and
jumped 5m75 at the pole, establishing the best performance for a decathlon.

[Gabriella]

DTer Lars Riedel 6087 from 1993

110mher Ladji Doucoure 7794 from 2001

400m runner Duane Ladejo 7633 from 1998 (including a 46.12 400m)

PVer Tim Lobinger 7346 from 1999 (including a 5.76 PV)

PVer Thierry Vigneron 7035 from 1987 (including a 5.62 PV)

JTer Peter Blank 7425 from 1992 (including a 79.80 JT)

JTer Peter Esenwein 7048 from 1990 (including a 75.68 JT)

But in some ways Blank and Esenwein were mutlieventers that went to specialise, rather than vice versa

[tandfman]

In 1994, Heike Dreschler won the heptatlon.

Early in her career, she was both a long jumper and a heptathlete. In fact, she won heptathlon at the GDR National Junior Championships in 1980 at the age of 15.

[dbirds]

Gabriella/DecFan/jmd - that is what I am looking for. Wonder why Europeans do this a lot but not any/many Americans?

I dont count Lawrence Johnson and Tim Bright bc they both do multis alot in their youth.

Couple more:
Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz 7692 1977 PV
Jean Galfione 7206 1996 PV
Enno Tjepkema 7678 1989 JT

[tandfman]

I dont count Lawrence Johnson and Tim Bright bc they both do multis alot in their youth.

Yes. In fact, Bright was nationally ranked in the Dec before he was nationally ranked in the PV.

[KDFINE]

When the topic was first posted I was going to mention to mention Martin Lauer and Guy Drut, and then saw that the post was limited to athletes from the USA. Since others have re-directed the topic to a less parochial view, I'll take credit for the up to now not mentioned Martin Lauer.

A few years after the auto crash of 1960 that took him out of the Olympics and cost him his sight in one eye, South Africa's Gert Potgieter competed in a decathlon.

[dbirds]

Gert Potgieter is a good one!

[gh]

Hi,

In 1976, Guy Drut, the French Olympic champion on 110m hurdles, was in Talence
for the first edition of what was to become the decastar !
He has promised to participate to this decathlon if he was Olympic champion in Montreal !....

And as I recall he was on target for an 8000-point score at a time when not all that many athletes had done so, but given his heavy smoking habit he only had a 9-event score. Don't remember if he DNFed the 1500 or didn't even bother to start.

[jmd]

Drut realised 7261 points in 1976 and I think he was leading the competition
after 8 or 9 events !
Don't remember what happened in the 1500...
Grebenyuk was the winner with 8468 points.

[bekayne]

David Hemery tried the Decathlon in 1969:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... 23,3629852

[gh]

Phil Shinnick was World Ranked in the long jump in '64 and was US-Ranked in the decathlon in '66 and '67, scoring over 7000 both years.

[Conor Dary]

Phil Shinnick was World Ranked in the long jump in '64 and was US-Ranked in the decathlon in '66 and '67, scoring over 7000 both years.

Now there is a name that brings back memories on this board.

[KDFINE]

Bob Gutowski?
I was thinking that he probably had potential in the decathlon. In just looking on the net I saw one reference to his setting his long jump best in the AAU Decathlon of 1960. Knowing the net to have more than its share of errors, did he finish that or any other decathlon competitions?

[BusterZanga]

Charlie Pratt. World Ranked in the high hurdles in 1955, 1956, 1957 and in the decathlon in 1957.

[Ref]

David Hemery tried the Decathlon in 1969:
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2 ... 23,3629852

Topically, the results on that page include a discus win for Alex Black - brother of 1976 OG hammer 7th-placer and former Commonwealth record holder Chris - in the days before he changed specialism to javelin. Alex actually competed in the decathlon in his early days. Conversely, Stewart McCallum (also on the page) competed latterly in the decathlon.

[dbirds]

Good calls. Pratt PB 7154 in 1957 Gutowksi 6070 PB in 1960 and Shinnick PB 7307 in 1967

[bambam]

Phil Shinnick was World Ranked in the long jump in '64 and was US-Ranked in the decathlon in '66 and '67, scoring over 7000 both years.

Now there is a name that brings back memories on this board.

Please don't start this again

[Conor Dary]

Phil Shinnick was World Ranked in the long jump in '64 and was US-Ranked in the decathlon in '66 and '67, scoring over 7000 both years.

Now there is a name that brings back memories on this board.

Please don't start this again

Indeed Not!

[dbirds]

Anyone have marks for Potgeither?

Another hurdler Ladji Doucoure: 7794 Arles 10/06/2001

[BusterZanga]

Don Shy. World Ranked 9th in the decathlon in 1965 and 2nd in the high hurdles in 1966. Later shared the Chicago Bears backfield with Roger Sayers' (World Ranked in the 100/200 in 1962) kid brother Gale (24'11¾" LJ in 1961 as prep).

[dbirds]

As of now, I have 2 athletes that ranked as an individual event (Oldfield and Gutowski) that did compete in the decathlon and were not "real decathletes". Shy, Pratt and Shinnick all had US rankings in the decathlon meaning they trained in the decathlon too and would not necessarily count as pure individual athletes. Although all 3 deserve credit for their amazing dual performances.

[BusterZanga]

Can't stop my robot. Joel Shankle: NCAA LJ champ and AAU 3rd in the decathlon in 1955, OG HH bronze in 1956.

[Powell]

Aleksandr Averbukh was the European U23 champion in the decathlon, and had a PB of 8084 set in 1997 (with 5.60 in PV).

[dbirds]

Best "non-decathlete" decathlon scores:
WESSING HJ 8105
AVERBUKH PV 8084
DOUCOURE 110H 7794
KOZAKIEWICZ PV 7692
LADEJO 400 7633
CARDENAS 400 7614
RAMON KAJU HJ 7608

Pre1985 Tables
DRUT 110H 7565
LAUER 110H 7478

Best by event:
KOMAR SHOT PUT 6636
RIEDEL DISCUS 6087
BLANK JAVELIN 7651
WESSING HJ 8105
AVERBUKH PV 8084
DOUCOURE 110H 7794
CARISTAN 400H 7570
LADEJO 400 7633
DESRUELLES 100/200 7217
JIMMERSON 5000/1000 4059

If you count either of these in shot put and/or discus
HUBACHER at 7405
FABER at 7587

I didnt count Bright in PV as he competed in decathlon full-time. I'm not sure what standard to differentiate decathletes from non decathletes. 5 competitions? 10? I kinda of went with my knowledge here but I am very open to change.

[Powell]

I didnt count Bright in PV as he competed in decathlon full-time.

You could say Averbukh was a full-time decathlete early in his career, too. Even Ladji Doucoure at 19 chose decathlon rather than 110H as the event to compete in at the Euro Juniors, so he might have considered himself primarily a multi-eventer at that point.