Records
| Standing records prior to the 2008 season in track and field | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Record |  Roman Šebrle (CZE) | 9026 | May 27, 2001 |  Götzis, Austria |
This page lists the World Best Year Performance in the year 2008 in the men's decathlon . The main event during this season were the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, PR China, where the competition was held at the Beijing National Stadium on August 21 and August 22.
| Standing records prior to the 2008 season in track and field | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Record | Roman Šebrle (CZE) | 9026 | May 27, 2001 | Götzis, Austria |
| Rank | Points | Athlete | Venue | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8832 |  Bryan Clay (USA) | Eugene, United States | 2008-06-30 | |
| 2 | 8585 |  Andrei Krauchanka (BLR) | Hengelo, Netherlands | 2008-06-29 | |
| 3 | 8534 | Trey Hardee (USA) | Eugene, United States | 2008-06-30 | |
| 4 | 8527 |  Leonel Suárez (CUB) | Beijing, PR China | 2008-08-22 | |
| 5 | 8511 | Tom Pappas (USA) | Eugene, United States | 2008-06-30 | |
| 6 | 8504 |  Dmitriy Karpov (KAZ) | Götzis, Austria | 2008-06-01 | |
| 7 | 8497 |  Aleksey Sysoyev (RUS) | Götzis, Austria | 2008-06-01 | |
| 8 | 8434 |  Maurice Smith (JAM) | Kladno, Czech Republic | 2008-06-19 | |
| 9 | 8381 | Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) | Götzis, Austria | 2008-06-01 | |
| 10 | 8372 |  Arthur Abele (GER) | Ratingen, Germany | 2008-06-22 | |
| 11 | 8273 | André Niklaus (GER) | Ratingen, Germany | 2008-06-22 | |
| 12 | 8253 |  Romain Barras (FRA) | Beijing, PR China | 2008-08-22 | |
| 13 | 8248 | Michael Schrader (GER) | Ratingen, Germany | 2008-06-22 | |
| 14 | 8242 | Pascal Behrenbruch (GER) | Götzis, Austria | 2008-06-01 | |
| 15 | 8241 | Roman Šebrle (CZE) | Beijing, PR China | 2008-08-22 | |
| 16 | 8238 |  Oleksiy Kasyanov (UKR) | Beijing, PR China | 2008-08-22 | |
| 17 | 8233 |  Eugène Martineau (NED) | Ratingen, Germany | 2008-06-22 | |
| 18 | 8208 | Aleksey Drozdov (RUS) | Götzis, Austria | 2008-06-01 | |
| 19 | 8199 | Norman Müller (GER) | Manhattan, United States | 2008-08-03 | |
| 20 | 8191 | Jake Arnold (USA) | Manhattan, United States | 2008-08-03 | |
| 21 | 8178 |  Mikk Pahapill (EST) | Beijing, PR China | 2008-08-22 | |
| 22 | 8175 | Mustafa Abdur-Rahim (USA) | Manhattan, United States | 2008-08-03 | |
| 23 | 8143 | Chris Helwick (USA) | Manhattan, United States | 2008-08-03 | |
| 24 | 8142 |  Frédéric Xhonneux (BEL) | Desenzano del Garda, Italy | 2008-05-11 | |
| 25 | 8122 | Ashton Eaton (USA) | Eugene, United States | 2008-06-30 |
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad and also known as Beijing 2008, were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 28 sports and 302 events, one event more than those scheduled for the 2004 Summer Olympics. This was the first time China had hosted the Olympic Games, and the third time the Summer Olympic Games had been held in East Asia, following the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. These were also the second Summer Olympic Games to be held in a communist state, the first being the 1980 Summer Olympics in the Soviet Union.
Beijing Capital International Airport is one of two international airports serving Beijing, the other one being Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX). It is located 32 km (20 mi) northeast of Beijing's city center, in an exclave of Chaoyang District and the surroundings of that exclave in suburban Shunyi District. The airport is owned and operated by the Beijing Capital International Airport Company Limited, a state-controlled company. The airport's IATA Airport code, PEK, is based on the city's former romanized name, Peking.
The Beijing–Tianjin intercity railway is a Chinese high-speed railway that runs 117 kilometres (72.7 mi) line between Beijing and Tianjin. Designed for passenger traffic only, the Chinese government built the line to accommodate trains traveling at a maximum speed of 350 km/h (217 mph), and currently carries CRH high-speed trains running speeds up to 350 km/h (217 mph) since August 2018.
The National Aquatics Centre, and colloquially known as the Water Cube and the Ice Cube, is an aquatics center at the Olympic Green in Beijing, China.
Football at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and several other cities in the People's Republic of China from 6 to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to send their full women's national teams and men's U-23 teams to participate. Men's teams were allowed to augment their squad with three players over the age of 23.
American Samoa sent a team to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. The U.S. territory selected four athletes to compete in three sports: swimming, athletics and judo. The dependency's participation in Beijing marked its seventh participation in any Olympic game since its debut at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, and its sixth participation at any Summer Olympic games. Of the four American Samoan athletes who participated in Beijing, all four were first-time Olympians and born outside American Samoa and none of the four advanced past the qualification or preliminary rounds of their events. More women participated in the 2008 American Samoan Olympic delegation than in any one delegation in its Olympic history. Judoka Silulu A'etonu was the territory's flagbearer at the ceremonies.
Vanuatu competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. A total of three Vanuatuan athletes competed in two sports. Moses Kamut and Elis Lapenmal competed in, respectively, the men's and women's 100m sprints, and Priscilla Tommy competed in women's singles table tennis after being selected by the IOC's Tripartite Commission. Tommy's appearance in particular was Vanuatu's debut into table tennis. Tommy was also the country's flagbearer during the opening ceremony. The Vanuatuan delegation to Beijing included the country's head of state and prime minister, but only included Elis Lapenmal; the other two athletes did not accompany the delegation and arrived in China at different times.
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, were a summer multi-sport event held in Beijing, the capital of the People's Republic of China, from 8 to 24 August 2008. Approximately 10,942 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 302 events in 28 sports.
Haiti sent a delegation to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing, People's Republic of China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. Its participation in Beijing marked its seventh consecutive appearance at the summer Olympics and its fourteenth appearance overall, with its first being at the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris. The Haitian Olympic team included seven athletes participating in track and field, boxing, and judo. More women participated for Haiti in 2008 than at any single Olympic games prior. Although Pierre and Dorival advanced to quarterfinals in their events, there were no Haitian medalists in Beijing. Brutus carried his country's flag at the ceremonies.
Sudan sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Nine competitors, all from the Darfur region and northern Sudan, represented Sudan at the Beijing games.
Belize competed in the 2008 Summer Olympics, held in Beijing, People's Republic of China from 8 to 24 August 2008. Its participation in Beijing marked its eighth Olympic appearance under the name "Belize" and its tenth overall, as its first two appearances were under the name "British Honduras". The Belizean delegation in 2008 included four athletes: three participated in track and field events and one in taekwondo. Belize did not medal in Beijing, and had not medaled before Beijing, but Jonathan Williams became the first Belizean athlete to advance past the first round of any Olympic event.
Antigua and Barbuda competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China, submitting a delegation that included athletes Daniel Bailey, Brendan Christian, James Grayman, and Sonia Williams in track and field events, and Kareem Valentine in swimming. Antigua and Barbuda's appearance in Beijing marked its eighth appearance at the Summer Olympics since the nation's debut at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montréal, Canada. There were no medalists from Antigua and Barbuda in 2008, although Bailey reached the quarterfinals and Christian the semifinals of their respective events.
Aruba competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Their participation marked their sixth Olympic appearance, and included the smallest number of athletes that had ever represented Aruba in its history. Two Arubans competed in the Olympic games: Jan Roodzant participated as a swimmer, and Fiderd Vis participated in judo. The Aruban delegation arrived in Beijing between August 1 and August 4, including the athletes, coaches, and various officials from both the IOC and the Aruban Olympic Committee, Aruba's local Olympic committee. Fiderd Vis came to Beijing on special invitation from the IOC, which had observed his progress while he trained in Brazil. Vis was the flagbearer in the opening ceremony, while Roodzant was so in the closing ceremony. Both athletes were eliminated in the preliminary rounds on August 12, 2008; consequently, Aruba did not earn any medals.
Suriname sent a delegation of four people to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China: two athletes (Jurgen Themen and Kirsten Nieuwendam and two swimmers who participated in four distinct events. The appearance of Suriname at Beijing marked its tenth Olympic appearance, which included every Olympic games since the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City and excluded the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Its four athletes did not advance past the first round in each of their events. The Surinamese flag bearer in Beijing was not an athlete, but Anthony Nesty, the only medalist in Surinamese history and the nation's Olympic swimming coach.
Trinidad and Tobago sent a delegation to compete at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. Its participation in the Beijing games marked its eighteenth Olympic appearance and fifteenth Summer Olympic appearance since its debut at the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, excluding its joint participation with Jamaica and Barbados in 1960 as the West Indies Federation. With 28 athletes, more Trinidadians had competed at the Olympics than in any other single Olympic Games in its history before Beijing. Athletes representing Trinidad and Tobago advanced past the preliminary or qualification rounds in twelve events and reached the final rounds in four of those events. Of those four events, silver medals were won in the men's 100 meters and in the men's 4x100 meters relay. The latter was upgraded to gold due to one member of the quartet that crossed the line first, Nesta Carter, testing positive for a banned substance, resulting in their disqualification. The nation's flag bearer at the opening ceremony that year was swimmer and Athens medalist George Bovell.
Beijing, alternatively romanized as Peking, is the capital of the People's Republic of China. With over 21 million residents, Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city as well as China's second largest city after Shanghai. It is located in Northern China, and is governed as a municipality under the direct administration of the State Council with 16 urban, suburban, and rural districts. Beijing is mostly surrounded by Hebei Province with the exception of neighboring Tianjin to the southeast; together, the three divisions form the Jingjinji megalopolis and the national capital region of China.
The men's football tournament at the 2008 Summer Olympics was held in Beijing and four other cities in the People's Republic of China from 7 to 23 August. Associations affiliated with FIFA were invited to enter their men's under-23 teams in regional qualifying competitions, from which 15 teams, plus the host nation, reached the final tournament. Men's teams were allowed to augment their squads with up to three players over the age of 23.
Stephanie Brown Trafton is an American track and field athlete who won the discus throwing gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She is thus one of only three American women to have ever won the event.
The 2008 Summer Olympics opening ceremony was held at the Beijing National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest. It began at 20:00 China Standard Time (UTC+08:00) on Friday, 8 August 2008, as the number 8 is considered to be auspicious. The number 8 is associated with prosperity and confidence in Chinese culture. The artistic part of the ceremony comprised two parts titled "Brilliant Civilization" and "Glorious Era" respectively. The first part highlighted the Chinese civilization and the second part exhibited modern China and its dream of harmony between the people of the world. The stadium was full to its 91,000 capacity according to organizers.
The National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, is an 91,000-capacity stadium in Beijing. The stadium was jointly designed by architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron from Basel-based architecture team Herzog & de Meuron, project architect Stefan Marbach, artist Ai Weiwei, and CADG, which was led by chief architect Li Xinggang. The stadium was designed for use throughout the 2008 Summer Olympics and Paralympics. It was used again in the 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics. The Bird's Nest sometimes has temporary large screens installed at the stands.