The decathlon is a track and field competition involving 10 events – five on each of two successive days. Performances in the 10 events are scored by reference to a points table. The individual accumulating the highest number of points after the 10 events is declared the winner.
The decathlon is a menu of athletic events, testing an individual’s speed, endurance, strength, skill and determination. It clearly reflects the ancient Greek ideal of all-around, balanced excellence in sports. In fact, every four years, the winner of the Olympic Decathlon is dubbed the World’s Greatest Athlete, a title that has been bestowed on Americans such as Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bruce Jenner and Dan O’Brien.
The notion of the decathlon is not limited to the arena of track and field competition, however. Consider any other sport or athletic competition. Victory or success generally goes to the well-rounded competitor or team and not the individual or team with a single overpowering attribute. For example, those considered to be the world’s best gymnasts are those who have competency in most, if not all, of several different gymnastic apparatus. [click to continue…]
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