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Decathletes: Best athletes in the world or just good at being average?
Had a debate last night with a friend regarding decathletes.
My view was that decathletes only exist because they are not good enough to excel in a single particular event. Instead they just excel at being average in lots of different events.
So was wondering do any of the current top decathletes post times, heights, distances within the decathlon that would be considered 'world class' within those events themselves?
Cheers
My view was that decathletes only exist because they are not good enough to excel in a single particular event. Instead they just excel at being average in lots of different events.
So was wondering do any of the current top decathletes post times, heights, distances within the decathlon that would be considered 'world class' within those events themselves?
Cheers
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Had he focused on one of them or the 400m (and maybe one or two others) I'm certain he would have been right up there.
I'm sure that would be true of others before or since.
Decathletes at the top level are fantastically far ahead of ordniary mortals (hell, even 'pretty good' athletes) in each event.
Maybe they wouldn't be medal potential at individual events but to describe them as 'being average in lots of different events' shows some ignorance and is very belittling.
I'm a big athletics fan and I have to say Multi Eventers are the athletes I have most admiration & respect for.
Yes, I don't think they should be necessary looked on as better or worse.
Apart from very occasionally in such as long jump or sprints yes they wouldn't be medal contenders in the individual events, generally nowhere close..
However, those who succeed in individual events would really struggle with the variety of excelence the multi eventers manage even with a great deal of multi event training..
"Good at being average" is quite insulting to vey talented dedicated all round athletes.
I would assume though that athletes move into the decathlon because they are unable to excel at an individual event.
Have any decathletes moved accross to focus on an individual event?
Carolina Kluft, the former multi gold medalist Heptathlete now just competes in the Long Jump, although I think she was actually more successful and medalled as a Long Jumper while she was still also a Heptathlete.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolina_Kl%C3%BCft
Then after a time folk who were only good at one or two events started off their own competitions just for these events.
Maybe some folk would then look down at these "one trick" ponies
Huh, that Bolt guy can run fast but he's ruddy useless with a javelin
They are also very injury prone.
However, when fit, they are obviously the best all round athletes
It seems to be more commonplace among Heptathletes. Jackie Joyner Kersee won gold medals in both the Heptathlon and Long Jump. She accomplished this at both the Olympics and World Championships.
That's world class.
I was interested to read that David Rudisha started out as a decathlete. He looks a very complete athlete to me; strength, speed and speed endurance.
Jessica won the heptathlon bronze medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. But, her high jump of 1.91m would have been good enough to win the individual gold medal!
And she's only 5 foot 5 inches tall. I find this amazing.
Probably just rejects. There's more prestige and financial gain in other disciplines.
Multi event athletes are certainly anything but a 'Jacks of all Trades, Masters of None.' They need speed, strength, stamina and concentration far beyond that required by the single eventer.
In my school days The Victor Ludorum was the most coveted trophy of all.
I would say however that they are average at a number of events and not the BEST athletes. Because no they are good at averaging out a load of events. I think they probably last longer in bed. Haha, I crack myself up, hahahhaha!!:D...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................:cool:..............................................................................................................................................
I do wish there was parity in the men and women though. Let's make the women's decathlon the gold standard.
You have a very valid point imo. The praise lavished upon Lewis, Ennis and Macey is a tad ott to my eye (not Daley, he was legend
It's not really that big a leap, a lot of the events are similar to eachother and if they're not like the Javelin discipline in dec and hep then they have 7 days a week 24 hours a day to learn how to throw it
I think the key with multi discipline events is that there's such a lack of competition worldwide both in terms of actual competitors and events - cos u need two days to stage event and most track meets tend to be one - so a top all round athlete can find themselves high in the rankings and motivated to do better relatively early on in a career.
Sometimes i find myself thinking they are the supreme athletes of the most advanced species we know in the universe so they MUST be important and then other times I think more along the lines of the OP, it's an interesting question alright.
The best athletes in every sport always train specifically for what the job entails. For example a 100m sprinter doesn't run a 1500m in training. Why is this? It's because his body would adapt to the wrong distance.
People who are Decathletes have amazing skill in which they are careful not to adjust there body to much to a specific event and by doing so not compromising other events. However most Decathlon champions only shine in one to three events and are fairly average in the others.
Obviously if you got someone that could be described as an average Joe and got them to do a Decathlon they would fail miserably. Therefore what makes a good decathlete is someone who's body can adapt quickly to what their body requires of them.
It is a case of how you measure success as it is impossible to be say someone is good at everything for sure when events don't really compare with each other.
They are truly superb all round athletes. I think the "jack of all trades" opinion is a bit harsh.
However, I think an honest approach would be to ask how many of these athletes when they first put on the spikes and went to their club said "oh I really want to be a decathlete". Most became that because they excell at one event - I mean to elite elite level.
Guys like Macey didn't have the body type to be anything other than a multi eventer. Although his 400 metres was strong.