Heptathlon Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Athletics Heptathlon
2023 World Athletics Championships day 2 heptathlon finalists
World records
Men	Ashton Eaton 6645 pts (2012)
Women	Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7291 pts (1988)
Olympic records
Women	Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7291 pts (1988)
World Championship records
Women	Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7128 pts (1987)
World Indoor Championship records
Men	Ashton Eaton 6645 pts (2012)

A heptathlon is an exciting track and field competition. It combines seven different sports events. The name "heptathlon" comes from Greek words: "hepta" means "seven," and "athlos" means "competition." So, it's a "seven-event competition." An athlete who competes in a heptathlon is called a heptathlete.

There are two main types of heptathlons. One is for women and is usually held outdoors. The other is for men and is typically held indoors. These two types have different events. The women's heptathlon became an Olympic sport in 1984.

Women's Heptathlon: Seven Outdoor Challenges
- How Points are Scored in Heptathlon
- Benchmark Performances for Women
Men's Heptathlon: Indoor Challenges
- Benchmark Performances for Men
Images for kids
See also

Women's Heptathlon: Seven Outdoor Challenges

The women's heptathlon is a big event at the Olympics and the World Athletics Championships. Athletes compete in seven events over two days.

Here are the events for the women's outdoor heptathlon:

100 metres hurdles (running over barriers)
High jump (jumping over a high bar)
Shot put (throwing a heavy ball)
200 metres (a sprint race)

These first four events happen on the first day.

On the second day, athletes compete in these three events:

Long jump (jumping for distance)
Javelin throw (throwing a spear-like object)
800 metres (a middle-distance running race)

The heptathlon took the place of the pentathlon (five events) in the early 1980s. The javelin throw and 800-meter race were added to make it seven events. Some women also compete in a decathlon (ten events), but the heptathlon is still the main championship event for women.

Famous heptathletes include Nafissatou Thiam from Belgium. She won two Olympic gold medals. Katarina Johnson-Thompson from Great Britain is also a top athlete. She is a current World and Commonwealth Champion.

How Points are Scored in Heptathlon

In the heptathlon, athletes earn points for how well they do in each event. A mathematician named Dr. Karl Ulbrich created this scoring system. The system is designed so that a really good performance (like jumping 1.82 meters in the high jump) earns 1000 points. There's also a minimum performance level for zero points.

The scoring formulas are a bit like puzzles, but they make sure that better performances always get more points. The events are grouped into three types for scoring:

Running events (200 m, 800 m, and 100 m hurdles):

$P = a \cdot (b - T)^c$

Jumping events (high jump and long jump):

$P = a \cdot (M - b)^c$

Throwing events (shot put and javelin):

$P = a \cdot (D - b)^c$

In these formulas:

P means the points earned.
T is the time in seconds for running events.
M is the height or length in centimeters for jumping events.
D is the length in meters for throwing events.
a, b, and c are special numbers that are different for each event.

Here are the special numbers for each event:

Event	a	b	c
200 metres	4.99087	42.5	1.81
800 metres	0.11193	254	1.88
100 metres hurdles	9.23076	26.7	1.835
High jump	1.84523	75	1.348
Long jump	0.188807	210	1.41
Shot put	56.0211	1.5	1.05
Javelin throw	15.9803	3.8	1.04

Benchmark Performances for Women

This table shows you what kind of performance earns 1000, 900, 800, or 700 points in each event. It helps you see how good an athlete needs to be.

Event	1,000 pts	900 pts	800 pts	700 pts	Unit
100 m hurdles	13.85	14.56	15.32	16.12	Seconds
High jump	1.82	1.74	1.66	1.57	Metres
Shot put	17.07	15.58	14.09	12.58	Metres
200 m	23.80	24.86	25.97	27.14	Seconds
Long jump	6.48	6.17	5.84	5.50	Metres
Javelin throw	57.18	52.04	46.87	41.68	Metres
800 m	2:07.63	2:14.52	2:21.77	2:29.47	Minutes:Seconds

Men's Heptathlon: Indoor Challenges

The men's heptathlon is an indoor competition. It is the main combined event for men at the IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics. Like the women's event, it also has seven events spread over two days.

Here are the events for the men's indoor heptathlon:

60 metres (a short sprint)
Long jump (jumping for distance)
Shot put (throwing a heavy ball)
High jump (jumping over a high bar)

These first four events happen on the first day.

On the second day, athletes compete in these three events:

60 metres hurdles (running over barriers)
Pole vault (jumping over a high bar with a pole)
1000 metres (a longer running race)

The scoring system for the men's heptathlon is very similar to the women's. Athletes earn points for their performance in each event. The athlete with the most points at the end wins the competition.

Benchmark Performances for Men

This table shows the minimum performance needed to earn 1000 points in each event for the men's heptathlon.

Event	1000pts	Units
60 m	6.68	Seconds
Long jump	7.76	Metres
Shot put	18.40	Metres
High jump	2.21	Metres
60 m hurdles	7.69	Seconds
Pole vault	5.29	Metres
1000 m	2:29.00	Minutes:Seconds

Images for kids

Ashton Eaton is a world record holder in the men's heptathlon.

Heptathlon facts for kids

Contents