Track and field competition with 7 events
Aheptathlon is atrack and field combined events contest made up of seven events.[ 1] The name derives from the Greek ἑπτά (hepta, meaning "seven") and ἄθλος (áthlos, or ἄθλον, áthlon, meaning "competition"). A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.
There are two heptathlons – the men's and the women's heptathlon – composed of different events. The men's heptathlon is older and is currently held indoors, contested at theIAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics . The women's heptathlon is held outdoors and was introduced in the 1980s, first appearing in theOlympics in1984 . It is currently contested in theathletics programme of the Olympics and at theWorld Athletics Championships .
Women's heptathlon is the combined event for women contested in theathletics programme of the Olympics and at theWorld Athletics Championships . TheWorld Athletics Combined Events Tour 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 heptathlon has been contested by female athletes since the early 1980s, when it replaced thepentathlon as the primary women's combined event contest (the javelin throw and 800 m were added).[ 2] It was first contested at the Olympic level in the1984 Summer Olympics . In recent years some women'sdecathlon competitions have been conducted, consisting of the same events as the men's competition in a slightly different order, andWorld Athletics has begun keeping records for it, but the heptathlon remains the championship-level combined event for women.Nafissatou Thiam , representing Belgium, is the2024 Olympic Gold Medallist , after successfully defending her previous2016 and2020 titles. She is also the reigningEuropean Champion .Katarina Johnson-Thompson , representing Great Britain, is the currentWorld Champion andCommonwealth Champion .Odile Ahouanwanou .Yekaterina Voronina ,Kiara Reddingius ,Luisarys Toledo andAriana Ince hold the African, Asian, Oceanian, South American and NACAC (North American, Central American and Caribbean) titles respectively.Adriana Rodríguez ,Marthe Koala ,Swapna Barman andElenani Tinai hold the Panamerican Games, African Games, Asian Games and Pacific Games titles respectively.[ 3]
There is also aTetradecathlon , which is a double heptathlon, consisting of 14 events, seven events per day.
The heptathlon scoring system was devised by Dr Karl Ulbrich, a Viennese mathematician. The formulae are constructed so that, for each event, a designated benchmark performance (for example, approximately 1.82 m for the high jump) scores 1000 points.[ 4] Each event also has a minimum recordable performance level (e.g. 0.75 m for the high jump), corresponding to zero points. The formulae are devised so that successive constant increments in performance correspond to gradually increasing increments in points awarded.
The events are split into three groups, and the scores are calculated according to the three formulae:[ 5]
Running events (200 m, 800 m and 100 m hurdles):P = I N T ( a ⋅ ( b − T ) c {\displaystyle P=INT(a\cdot (b-T)^{c}} ) Jumping events (high jump and long jump):P = I N T ( a ⋅ ( M − b ) c {\displaystyle P=INT(a\cdot (M-b)^{c}} ) Throwing events (shot put and javelin):P = I N T ( a ⋅ ( D − b ) c {\displaystyle P=INT(a\cdot (D-b)^{c}} ) P is for points,T is for time in seconds,M is for height or distance in centimeters andD is distance in meters.a ,b andc have different values for each of the events, as follows:
Event a b c 200 metres 4.99087 42.5 1.81 800 metres 0.11193 254 1.88 100 metres hurdles 9.23076 26.7 1.835 High jump 1.84523 75 1.348 Long jump 0.188807 210 1.41 Shot put 56.0211 1.5 1.05 Javelin throw 15.9803 3.8 1.04
The following table shows the benchmark levels needed to earn 1000, 900, 800 and 700 points in each event.
Event 1,000 pts 900 pts 800 pts 700 pts Unit 100 m hurdles 13.85 14.56 15.32 16.12 Seconds High jump 1.82 1.74 1.66 1.57 Metres Shot put 17.07 15.58 14.09 12.58 Metres 200 m 23.80 24.86 25.97 27.14 Seconds Long jump 6.48 6.17 5.84 5.50 Metres Javelin throw 57.18 52.04 46.87 41.68 Metres 800 m 2:07.63 2:14.52 2:21.77 2:29.47 Minutes:Seconds
Women's world records compared with heptathlon bests[ edit ] The other version is an indoor competition, normally contested by men only. It is the men's combined event in theIAAF 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 performance in each event according to scoring tables issued by theInternational Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF).[ 10] The athlete accumulating the highest number of points wins the competition.
The following table shows the minimum benchmark levels required to earn 1000 points in each event.
Event 1000pts Units 60 m 6.68 Seconds Long jump 7.76 Metres Shot put 18.40 Metres High jump 2.21 Metres 60 m hurdles 7.69 Seconds Pole vault 5.29 Metres 1000 m 2:29.00 Minutes:Seconds
Men's world records compared with heptathlon bests[ edit ] Below is a list of all other scores equal or superior to 6875 pts:
Jackie Joyner-Kersee also scored 7215 (1988), 7158 (1986), 7148 (1986), 7128 (1987), 7044 (1992), 6979 (1987), 6910 (1986), 6878 (1991).Carolina Klüft also scored 7001 (2003), 6952 (2004), 6887 (2005).Nafissatou Thiam also scored 6947 (2022), 6880 (2024).Jessica Ennis also scored 6906 (2012).Sabine Paetz also scored 6897 (1988).Larisa Nikitina also scored 6875 (1989).Tatyana Chernova scored 6880 (2011), this performance was annulled due to doping offences.World record holderAshton Eaton competing at the2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships Below is a list of all other scores equal or superior to 6320 pts:
Women's Olympic medalists[ edit ] Women's World Championships medalists[ edit ] Men's World Indoor Championships medalists[ edit ] The world record as of 18/07/2024 is highlighed in yellow.
Men's indoor heptathlon[ edit ] Equal or superior to 6200 pts:
Men's indoor heptathlon[ edit ] Equal or superior to 6000 pts:
Men's heptathlon under-20 records[ edit ] Key: Unratified byWorld Athletics
✕ = Inadequate doping control
Event Record N Athlete Nationality Date Meet Place Age Ref. Heptathlon(Senior implements) 6022 ✕ Gunnar Nixon United States27-28 January 2012 Razorback Invitational Fayetteville 19 years, 15 days[ 27] ( 7.10 - 7.53 - 13.97 - 2.15 / 8.21 - 4.50 - 2:40.15 ) Heptathlon(U20 implements) 6062 Jente Hauttekeete Belgium13-14 February 2021 Mehrkampf - Siebenkampf U20 Frankfurt 18 years, 337 days[ 28] ( 7.07 - 7.33 - 15.64 - 2.10 / 8.06 - 4.70 - 2:46.71 )
Men's heptathlon under-20 bests[ edit ] (In completed heptathlons of more than 5200 points)
Event Specification Result Score Athlete Nation Date Meet Place Age Ref. 60 m 6.75 973 Ayden Owens Puerto Rico8 March 2019 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships Birmingham 18 years, 284 days[ 29] Long jump 7.96 m 1050 Eusebio Cáceres Spain6 March 2010 Spanish Junior Indoor Championships San Sebastián 18 years, 177 days[ 30] Shot put 6 kg 16.51 m 883 Simon Pettersson Sweden10 March 2012 Swedish Indoor Junior Combined Events Championships Gothenburg 18 years, 67 days[ 31] 7.26 kg 15.06 m 793 Matas Adamonis Lithuania14 December 2017 Šiauliai 19 years, 171 days[ 32] High jump 2.19 m 982 Yaroslav Rybakov Russia13 February 1999 Russian U20 Indoor Combined Events Championships Chelyabinsk 18 years, 83 days[ 33] Andrei Krauchanka Belarus5 February 2005 Reval Hotels Cup Tallinn 19 years, 32 days[ 34] First-day score U20 implements 3476 Jente Hauttekeete Belgium13 February 2021 Mehrkampf - Siebenkampf U20 Frankfurt 18 years, 336 days[ 28] Senior implements 3466 Andrei Krauchanka Belarus5 February 2005 Reval Hotels Cup Tallinn 19 years, 32 days[ 34] 60 m hurdles 0.991 m 7.68 1064 Maxime Moitie‑Charnois France12 February 2023 French U20 Indoor Combined Events Championships Val-de-Reuil 18 years, 303 days[ 35] 1.067 m 7.84 1022 Ayden Owens Puerto Rico9 March 2019 NCAA Division 1 Indoor Championships Birmingham 18 years, 285 days[ 36] Pole vault 5.55 m 1083 Oleksandr Korchmid Ukraine20 December 2001 Ukraine Junior ME Brovary 19 years, 332 days[ 37] 1000 m 2:30.67 980 Lukáš Souček [pl ] Czech Republic5 March 1994 Prague 18 years, 238 days[ 38] Second-day score U20 implements 2713 Maxime Moitie-Charnois France12 February 2023 French U20 Indoor Combined Events Championships Val-de-Reuil 18 years, 303 days[ 39] Senior implements 2663 André Niklaus Germany6 February 2000 Frankfurt-Kalbach Int. ME Meeting Frankfurt-Kalbach 18 years, 160 days[ 40]
Other multiple event contests include:
Summer sports Winter sports Other ^ In 1977,Eva Wilms threw 20.79m during apentathlon event, which is sometimes referred to as the heptathlon best. ^ Women'sjavelin was redesigned in 1999 and all records started afresh. Point allocation for Heptathlon remained the same, but the comparison is being made between the WR and Heptathlon best of the current model. ^ "Heptathlon – Definition" . Merriam-webster.com. August 31, 2012. RetrievedAugust 18, 2013 .^ D'Andrea, Christian (August 12, 2016)."Here's how the heptathlon works" .SBNation.com . RetrievedDecember 18, 2023 . ^ Holders correct as of 2020. The European Games does not feature a heptathlon event. ^ "London 2012: Jessica Ennis leads heptathlon after first day" ,The Guardian , 3 August 2012^ "IAAF Scoring Tables for Combined Events" (PDF) .IAAF . April 2004. p. 15. Archived fromthe original (PDF) on September 10, 2008. RetrievedAugust 5, 2012 .^ "Women's Heptathlon 100 Metres Hurdles Results" .IAAF . August 3, 2012. RetrievedAugust 5, 2012 .^a b c d "World Combined Best Performances" .worldathletics.org . RetrievedAugust 25, 2023 .^ "Women's Heptathlon Shot Put Results" .IAAF . August 3, 2012. RetrievedAugust 6, 2012 .^ Hans van Kuijen (September 16, 2012)."Van Alphen and Yosypenko prevail in Talence – IAAF Combined Events Challenge" .IAAF . RetrievedSeptember 18, 2012 . ^ [1] Archived September 10, 2008, at theWayback Machine ^ "Simon Ehammer Sets Long Jump World Record in Heptathlon of 8.26m" .watchathletics.com . January 29, 2022. RetrievedJanuary 29, 2022 .^ Krajewski, Casey (February 22, 2013)."Drouin Jumps to World Record in Heptathlon" .Indiana Daily Student . Archived fromthe original on June 6, 2014. RetrievedFebruary 22, 2013 . ^a b Heptathlon – women – senior – outdoor . IAAF. Retrieved on 2014-01-25.^a b c Diego Sampaolo (May 28, 2017)."Thiam scores 7013 to break meeting record in Götzis" . IAAF. 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