Decathlon, Men

By 1984 the defending gold medalist, Daley Thompson, was dominant in the decathlon. He had not lost a decathlon since the 1978 European Championships, winning the 1982 European and Commonwealth titles, and was 1984 World Champion. But his victory in Los Angeles was not a foregone conclusion. Thompson no longer held the world record, that mark having been broken three times since 1982 by West German Jürgen Hingsen. Hingsen’s teammates, Siggi Wentz and 1976 silver medalist Guido Kratschmer were also expected to push Thompson. The Soviet-led boycott had minimal effect in 1984, with East German Siegfried Stark the only top international decathlete absent. Despite the German threat, Thompson was superb. He won the first two events, the 100 and long jump, with 10.44 and 8.01 and opened up a lead he never relinquished. He led Hingsen by 210 points after the javelin and coasted in the 1,500 to win the gold medal. Hingsen, Wentz, and Kratschmer finished second, third, and fourth. Thompson’s original mark of 8,797 missed Hingsen’s world record by one point, but a re-read of the photo finishes converted it to 8,798 and equal to Hingsen’s mark. Then in 1985, new decathlon tables were introduced and Thompson’s converted mark became 8,847 and the world record.