400 m

The final event of the first day is one of the hardest running distances and corresponds to exactly on lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions so that the finish line is exactly 400 m away from every starter. It is actually considered a sprint, meaning a lot of lactate builds up in the muscles. Athletes are usually attended to immediately after the race with massages and ice for recovery of the muscles.


Times below 47 seconds, achieved for example by Dean Macey, can be considered really good for decathletes, awarding more than 950 points (24 points for 0,5 s)

Some of the best decathletes in this event with their PBs:

• Yunior Díaz (CUB) - 45,9h s
• Dean Macey (GBR) - 46,21 s
• Erki Nool (EST) - 46,23 s
• Dan O'Brien (USA) - 46,53 s
• Eduard Hämäläinen (FIN) - 46,71 s

To compare the current world record for this event is 43,18 s, held by Michael Johnson.