How it works
This is the men’s ultimate all-round test – a 10-discipline track-and-field contest spread over two days.
Competitors earn points for their performance in each discipline and the overall winner is the man who accrues the most.
The first day consists of (in order) 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m. The second day’s events are 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m.
History
The forerunner of the modern decathlon was the pentathlon, a regular feature of the Ancient Olympics that comprised long jump, discus, javelin, sprint and wrestling.
Various versions of the event re-emerged in the 18th century and the first decathlon was held in 1911, with the inaugural Olympic decathlon taking place a year later in Stockholm.
Did you know
American Bob Mathias was just 17 when he won the 1948 Olympic Games decathlon in London.
Gold standard
America has secured more golds than any other nation – but they’re no longer dominant. Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany and Belarus are among the more powerful nations today.
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Daley Thompson
This Brit was virtually unbeatable from the late 1970s through to the mid-1980s and he racked up two Olympic, one world, two European and three Commonwealth titles.