decathlon for women? [split]

[ralmcg]

Thanks! I'm still hoping to implement it one day

You're welcome.

[ralmcg]

I have an idea about how to have the women's decathlon while having the heptathlon at the same time. The women can compete alongside the men in their decathlon, especially in major championships. The women will be scored separately from the men. Now I know that the major problem will be the hurdles, where women have shorter race and shorter hurdles than men. But with a little thought (i.e. placing the women's hurdles farther up than men's, along with shorter hurdles) it is doable. The other events are doable to, just use women's implements for the women, men's implements for men. Right now the number of women decathletes is small than either men decathletes or women heptathletes, so the decathlon will have space for the women, at least until the time that the women's decathlon is introduced as as separate event because of an increase in women decathletes. OK, so the idea may have been done already, so it is not my original idea.

[ralmcg]

I have a lot of respect for Austra Skujyte for competing in the decathlon. In fact I have more respect for her that the heptathletes who don't even want to try the pole vault and have access to it, even in a training situation. I can understand not wanting to do the pole vault after trying it, since it is more scary to do than other track-and-field events and that I can respect.

[WillardF]

In gymnastics the women do four events and the men six (only the floor & vault are done by both). In tennis grand-slams women play only best of 3 sets and demand equal prize money. In athletics we have both different weights and different hurdle heights and 100mH versus 110mH.

Perhaps the "Blockwettkampf" the Germans have at youth level offer ideas - they differentiate between sprint/sprung and wurf(throw) competitions which emphasise different strengths.
Perhaps for both genders we could have both a one day pentathlon emphasising sprint/jumps and a decathlon for the all-round? That would keep in the multi-events the sprinter-long jumper types while offering an all-round challenge as well.

The Blockwettkampf contests sound interesting. How do they work? And how do they differ from all of the other multi-events that seem to be done only in Germany?

[ralmcg]

In gymnastics the women do four events and the men six (only the floor & vault are done by both). In tennis grand-slams women play only best of 3 sets and demand equal prize money. In athletics we have both different weights and different hurdle heights and 100mH versus 110mH.

Perhaps the "Blockwettkampf" the Germans have at youth level offer ideas - they differentiate between sprint/sprung and wurf(throw) competitions which emphasise different strengths.
Perhaps for both genders we could have both a one day pentathlon emphasising sprint/jumps and a decathlon for the all-round? That would keep in the multi-events the sprinter-long jumper types while offering an all-round challenge as well.

Interesting idea the Germans have for multi-events. Maybe it should be adopted by the major championships and the Olympics.

[ralmcg]

I recently e-mailed the IAAF about introducing a resolution to have the women's decathlon introduced at the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics. They say that the best way to introduce that resolution is through the individual national associations (i.e. USATF). We should try that.

[polevaultpower]

I recently e-mailed the IAAF about introducing a resolution to have the women's decathlon introduced at the 2027 World Championships and the 2028 Olympics. They say that the best way to introduce that resolution is through the individual national associations (i.e. USATF). We should try that.

Well, currently the leadership of our Women's T&F Committee (none of whom have any background in combined events) has been very opposed to anything that threatens the status quo, so I don't think anything will happen until there is a change of leadership on that committee.

[polevaultpower]

Most of my challenges related to women's decathlon have come from other women, not the men.

[ralmcg]

Most of my challenges related to women's decathlon have come from other women, not the men.

What are the other women afraid of? Having to do extra events? Well, they must not really be for equality for women in track and field then.

[Trickstat]

What are the other women afraid of? Having to do extra events? Well, they must not really be for equality for women in track and field then.

No they are leading exponents at the heptathlon who don't want to have that replaced by a decathlon that features events that they may not have ever even attempted before.

I do think the right approach is for an announcement to be made at some stage that the decathlon will replace the heptathlon at a particular Worlds and subsequent Olympics some 6 to 10 years from the announcement.