Heptathlon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta (seven) and athlon (contest). A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.
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[edit] Structure
There are two versions of the heptathlon. The first is an outdoor competition for women, and is the combined event for women contested in the Athletics program of the Olympics and in the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The IAAF World Combined Events Challenge determines a yearly women's heptathlon champion. The women's outdoor heptathlon consists of the following events, with the first four contested on the first day, and the remaining three on day two:
The other version is an indoor competition, normally contested only by men. It is the men's combined event in the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. The men's indoor heptathlon consists of the following events, with the first four contested on the first day, and remaining three on day two:
The scoring is similar for both versions. In each event, the athlete scores points for his/her performance in each event according to scoring tables issued by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The athlete accumulating the highest number of points wins the competition.
The heptathlon has been contested by female athletes since the early 1980s, when it replaced the pentathlon as the primary women's combined event contest (the javelin throw and 800 m were added). It was first contested at the Olympic level in the 1984 Summer Olympics. In recent years some women's decathlon competitions have been conducted, consisting of the same events as the men's competition, and the IAAF has begun keeping records for it. But the heptathlon remains the championship-level combined event for women.
[edit] World Record
The current heptathlon world record is 7291 points. It was set by Jackie Joyner-Kersee at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, Korea, on September 24, 1988.
Her scores in each event were:
| Event | Performance | Wind (m/s) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m hurdles | 12.69 secs | +0.5 | 1172 |
| High jump | 1.86 m | 1054 | |
| Shot put | 15.80 m | 915 | |
| 200 m | 22.56 secs | +1.6 | 1123 |
| Long jump | 7.27 m | +0.7 | 1264 |
| Javelin | 45.66 | 776 | |
| 800 m | 2 mins 08.51 secs | 987 |
Joyner-Kersee has gone over 7,000 points six times and holds the top six places on the all-time performances list. She is also the only person ever to have done so when over the age of 30.[1] Carolina Klüft and Larisa Turchinskaya are the only other women to have topped 7000 points, with Kluft having done so twice.
[edit] Record Progression
| POINTS | ATHLETE | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6104 |  Jane Frederick (USA) |
Walnut | 1981-04-24 |
| 6181 |  Nadezhda Vinogradova (URS) |
Kislovodsk | 1981-05-05 |
| 6670 |  Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
Halle | 1981-05-24 |
| 6788 | Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
Kiev | 1981-06-28 |
| 6845 | Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
Halle | 1982-06-20 |
| 6935 | Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
Moscow | 1983-06-19 |
| 6946 | Sabine John (GDR) |
Potsdam | 1984-05-06 |
| 7148 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) |
Moscow | 1986-07-07 |
| 7158 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) |
Houston | 1986-08-02 |
| 7215 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) |
Indianapolis | 1988-07-16 |
| 7291 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) |
Seoul | 1988-09-24 |
[edit] Best Year Performance
[edit] Women's Seasons Best (Outdoor)
[edit] Top Ten Performers
| POINTS | ATHLETE | VENUE | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7291 | Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) |
Seoul | 1988-09-24 |
| 7032 |  Carolina Klüft (SWE) |
Osaka | 2007-08-26 |
| 7007 | Larisa Turchinskaya (URS) |
Bryansk | 1989-06-11 |
| 6985 |  Sabine Braun (GER) |
Götzis | 1992-05-31 |
| 6946 | Sabine John (GDR) |
Potsdam | 1984-05-06 |
| 6942 |  Ghada Shouaa (SYR) |
Götzis | 1996-05-26 |
| 6935 | Ramona Neubert (GDR) |
Moscow | 1983-06-19 |
| 6889 |  Eunice Barber (FRA) |
Arles | 2005-06-05 |
| 6859 | Natalya Shubenkova (URS) |
Kiev | 1984-06-21 |
| 6858 | Anke Vater-Behmer (GDR) |
Seoul | 1988-09-24 |
[edit] National records
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- National Records
- IAAF combined events scoring tables
- Heptathlon points formula
- Heptathlon all-time list
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