A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek επτά and ἄθλος. A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.
The pentathlon or women's pentathlon is a combined track and field event in which each woman competes in five separate events over one day. The distance or time for each event is converted to points via scoring tables, with the overall ranking determined by total points. Since 1949 the events have been sprint hurdling, high jump, shot put, long jump, and a flat race. The sprint hurdles distance was 80 m outdoors until 1969 and thereafter 100 m; in indoor pentathlon the distance is 60 m. The flat race was 200 m until 1976 and thereafter 800 m. In elite-level outdoor competition, the pentathlon was superseded in 1981 by the heptathlon, which has seven events, with both 200 m and 800 m, as well as the javelin throw. Pentathlon is still contested at school and masters level and indoors.
The heptathlon at the 1991 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on August 26 and 27, 1991. The winning margin was 179 points.
The women's heptathlon event at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics took place from August 25–26, 2007 at the Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan. The competition is notable for having the highest number of competitors (39) in the World Championships history. The winning margin was 200 points.
These are the official results of the Women's Heptathlon competition at the 1999 World Championships in Seville, Spain. 22 athletes participated including four non-finishers. The competition started on Saturday 21 August 1999 and ended on Sunday 22 August 1999. The winning margin was 137 points.
These are the official results of the Women's Heptathlon competition at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France. There were a total number of 22 participating athletes, including four non-finishers. The competition started on Saturday 23 August 2003 and ended on Sunday 24 August 2003. The winning margin was 246 points.
The 31st edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on 28 May and 29 May 2005 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a decathlon (men) and a heptathlon (women) event, was part of the 2005 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge.
The 27th edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 26 and May 27, 2001 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a decathlon (men) and a heptathlon (women) event, was part of the 2001 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. Roman Šebrle set a world record in the men's decathlon with 9026 points.
The 25th edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 29 and May 30, 1999 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a decathlon (men) and a heptathlon (women) event, was part of the 1999 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. Tomáš Dvořák set a new meet record with a total number of 8738 points in the men's decathlon.
The Women's heptathlon competition at the 1998 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary was held on Friday August 21 and Saturday August 22, 1998. The event was one of the permit meetings of the inaugural 1998 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge.
The 36th edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 29 and May 30, 2010 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon event was part of the 2010 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. Oleksiy Kasyanov and Jessica Ennis led the men's and women's competition, respectively, after the first day. Ennis and Bryan Clay were the winners of the events overall.
These are the official results of the Women's Heptathlon competition at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. With 18 participating athletes, including two non-finishers and one non-starter, the competition is notable for having the lowest number of competitors in the World Championships history. The competition started on Saturday August 4, 2001 and ended on Sunday August 5, 2001. The winning margin was 155 points.
These are the official results of the Women's Heptathlon competition at the 1997 World Championships in Athens, Greece. The winning margin was 85 points.
The women's heptathlon at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Beijing National Stadium on 22 and 23 August.
The 37th edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 28 and May 29, 2011 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon event was part of the 2011 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. Trey Hardee and Jessica Ennis led the men's and women's competition, respectively, after the first day. Ennis and Trey Hardee were the winners of the events overall.
The 43rd edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 27 and May 28, 2017 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon event was part of the 2017 IAAF Combined Events Challenge. Damian Warner and Nafissatou Thiam were the winners of the events overall. Thiam's score was the third best time in history and she became only the fourth woman to ever score over 7000 points.
The women's heptathlon at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Olympic Stadium on 5–6 August.
In 2019, the main athletic events were the 2019 IAAF World Cross Country Championships, the 2019 IAAF World Relays, and the 2019 World Athletics Championships.
The women's heptathlon at the 2019 World Athletics Championships was held at the Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, from 2 to 4 October 2019. The winning margin was 304 points.
The women's heptathlon at the 2022 World Athletics Championships was held at the Hayward Field in Eugene on 17 and 18 July 2022. The winning margin was 80 points.
