The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of 10 track and field events. The word "decathlon" was formed, in analogy to the word "pentathlon", from Greek δέκα and ἄθλος. Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not by the position achieved. The decathlon is contested mainly by male athletes, while female athletes typically compete in the heptathlon.
Christian Schenk is a former decathlete who competed for East Germany and Germany. He won the gold medal in the decathlon in the 1988 Summer Olympics, held in Seoul, South Korea.
Siegfried "Siggi" Wentz is a German former track and field athlete who competed in the decathlon. He is the 1984 Olympic bronze medallist, and a two-time World Championship medallist.
Torsten Voss is a former East German track and field athlete and bobsledder who competed from the late 1980s to the late 1990s.
Paul Meier is former German decathlete who won a bronze medal at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics in Stuttgart where he set a personal best of 8548 points. A year earlier he had finished in sixth place at the 1992 Summer Olympics.
Jürgen Hingsen is a former West German decathlete who won several medals at international championships and Olympic Games in the 1980s, and held the decathlon world record in 1982 and again from 1983 to 1984. His rivalry with British decathlete Daley Thompson proved one of the most exciting in athletics during the 1980s.
Frank Busemann is a former German decathlete. He currently works as a pundit for athletics coverage by German TV channel Das Erste.
Kurt Bendlin was a West German decathlete. In 1967 he became the first German to set a world decathlon record in 34 years; he was voted German Sportsman of the Year, received the Silbernes Lorbeerblatt, and was cast in bronze by Arno Breker. Next year he won a bronze medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.
Guido Kratschmer is a retired West German decathlete. His sports club was the USC Mainz.
Herbert Wursthorn is a retired West German middle-distance runner who specialized in the 800 metres.
Curtis Beach is an American decathlete who competed for Duke University. He formerly held high school records in the decathlon using three different implement standards: high school, international junior and international senior. His performances in the high jump, 400 meters, and 1500 meters were superior to those of U.S. Olympic gold medalist Bryan Clay in the 2008 Olympic Games. At the 2011 NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship, as a freshman, Beach finished second overall in the decathlon. His 3:59.13 finish in the 1500 meters shattered the previous collegiate record and is the second-fastest 1500 meter in world history for a decathlon, just missing Robert Baker's mark from 1980.
Ashton James Eaton is a retired American decathlete and two-time Olympic champion, who holds the world record in the indoor heptathlon event. Eaton was the second decathlete to break the 9,000-point barrier in the decathlon, with 9,039 points, a score he bettered on August 29, 2015, when he beat his own world record with a score of 9,045 points, and remains the only person to exceed 9000 points twice. His world record was broken by Frenchman Kevin Mayer on September 16, 2018, with a total of 9,126 points, who became the third man to pass the 9,000-point barrier.
Damian David George Warner is a Canadian track and field athlete specializing in decathlon. He is the 2020 Olympic champion and a four-time world medallist. Warner also won the bronze medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics and was the 2014 Commonwealth champion and a two-time Pan American champion from the 2015 and 2019 Games. Competing in the heptathlon, he is the 2022 World Indoor champion.
Lindon Victor is a Grenadian athlete who competes in the decathlon. He is the 2023 World and 2024 Olympic bronze medalist and a two-time Commonwealth Games champion (2018–2022).
Robert Farken is a German middle distance runner. He is a German outdoor champion and a four time German indoor champion.
Karel Tilga is an Estonian athlete who competes in the decathlon.
Heath Baldwin is an American decathlete.
