Men's Decathlon

How the points work

World Athletics scores every mark with the same shape of formula. For a track event (faster is better) the points are A × (B − T)^C, with T your time in seconds; for a field event (farther or higher is better) they are A × (M − B)^C, with M your distance in metres. The result is rounded down to a whole number and never drops below zero.

Add the 10 event scores for the total. The tables are progressive, so the closer a mark gets to world-record level, the more each extra centimetre or hundredth of a second is worth.

Common questions

How many events is the decathlon, and over how long?
Ten, contested over two consecutive days outdoors — five each day.

What is a good decathlon score?
8000 points is the benchmark of a complete senior decathlete; national-class athletes score in the 7000s, and the world record sits around 9000.

What order are the decathlon events?
Day one: 100 m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 m. Day two: 110 m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500 m.