Decathlete

What's the most severe injury you sustained?

Asked by Stu about 13 years ago

Fortunately, I got away with little in the way of injuries; just the usual aches and pains. One time, I broke a pole vault pole and it smacked me in the leg and cut it, but not enough to sideline me for long.

Would you say that decathletes are, by definition, the greatest all-around athletes in the world?

Asked by lonesomeD about 13 years ago

Of course!

Does the typical decathlete tend to focus on, say, his 2-3 strongest events and just keep his head above water with the others, or does he train with equal focus across all events?

Asked by selfit23 about 13 years ago

A typical decathlete probably spends more time keeping his head above water on the events he's already good at and focusing on improving his skill in the events where he's weak. Among the weak events, he would prioritize the ones that score the most points.

What was your favorite event?

Asked by drewCarmine about 13 years ago

I really enjoyed pole vault because it's exhilarating to be flying upside in the air after sprinting full speed towards a box with a giant pole in your hand!

Are there any track & field events that are currently NOT part of the decathlon but you think SHOULD be? And assuming it would be kept to 10 total events, which event(s) would be the first to go?

Asked by Tripl3Jump about 13 years ago

This seems to be a loaded question given the fact that your username is Tripl3Jump. ;) But seriously, triple jump was my favorite, and one of my better events in high school, so I'd say throw in the triple and ditch the high jump. Keep the 1500 because it's fun to watch those dudes grimace in pain at the end of two days of grueling events.

Why doesn't the decathlon get as much media attention as it used to? My understanding is that it used to be THE preeminent Summer Olympics event...but it seems today to be viewed almost as a 'gimmick'.

Asked by Kyle about 13 years ago

I agree, unfortunately the decathlon doesn't get nearly enough media attention these days. I think it's mostly because Reebok put up big money to sponsor and promote "Dan and Dave" during the build up to the '92 games. This is was mainly to... you guessed it, sell shoes! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_%26_Dave

What’s the most difficult event?

Asked by plko22 about 13 years ago

The most technical events are pole vault and hurdles, I'd say. Most events are technical, but some you can muscle or sprint you're way through and still score a decent amount of points. Shot put was difficult for me because I needed to be bigger. But the absolute most difficult was probably pole vault since it's so dangerous and very mental. It's probably the easiest event to end up with no points.

Is Olympic recruitment a primary motivation for anyone competing at the college level?

Asked by brc12 about 13 years ago

Not really. Very, very few athletes will have enough talent to compete at the Olympic level. Of course, we all dream.

Given the difficulty of any one track & field event, what made you decide to take ten of them on simultaneously and become a decathlete?

Asked by ace about 13 years ago

I trained and competed in the Decathlon because I've always been a passionate fan of all track & field events and was excited to learn as much as I could during my time on the team. I also felt that as a multi-event athlete, I would have a great chance of scoring for our team. (Even though track is an individual sport, in college, individuals can accumulate points based on their results towards a team victory.)

What muscle groups & strength areas are most important for the shot put?

Asked by Glootenheimer about 13 years ago

What's your personal record for highest points total? Did you win?

Asked by Grimmmmace about 13 years ago

Other than the Olympics, Is there any sort of post-college competitive circuit for decathletes? Or does graduation more or less = retirement?

Asked by GBC about 13 years ago