Sebrle wins Javelin in Götzis (© IAAF)
Next weekend in Götzis, Austria a very special occasion in Combined Events - Decathlon and Heptathlon - history will take place when the 30th edition of the famous Hypo meeting is held in Mösle Stadion (29-30 May).
The meeting which has witnessed three Decathlon World records in it’s illustrious history is the second leg of the IAAF World Combined Event Challenge 2004 and will as usual welcome the top stars from the world of multi-event athletics.
In the Decathlon, Roman Sebrle (CZE), Tom Pappas (USA), Dmitry Karpov (KAZ), Tomas Dvorak (CZE), and Erki Nool (EST), head a cast of 30 athletes. Between them they can claim the current and former World records, the last four World Championship golds, the 2000 Olympic title, the entire Paris 2003 podium, and many other awards that are too numerous to mention.
In the women’s Heptathlon, 24 contestants line-up including five of the six medallists from the last two World Championships including the prodigious talent of World champion Carolina Klüft (SWE).
In the beginning
As the meeting’s internet site - http://www.meeting-goetzis.at - so carefully catalogues, the Hypo-Meeting came into being after the multi-event athletes of the "Leichtathletik-Gemeinschaft Montfort” applied in 1973 to hold the Austrian Multi-event championships. These took place in July 1973 and witnessed the national record of exactly 8000 points by Sepp Zeilbauer, as well as a considerable spectator attendance. The idea had been born!
At the time one of the main instigators of the meeting, Konrad Lerch, who today remains its Meeting Director, called upon his numerous international contacts with other coaches and athletes which he had acquired as national coach, and so was able to assemble a top class field of competitors.
And so it all began in 1975, with GDR's Burglinde Pollak’s seasonal world best in the Pentathlon in the worst weather conditions, and the superb organisation and hearty atmosphere impressing officials, coaches, athletes and spectators alike.
The following year "Volksbank" became the first official sponsor, and at the same time the funding by the state, the region and the community of Götzis motivated the organisers of the meeting to have another go.
Combined Event history was in the making, and it wasn’t soon before Götzis’ impressive CV began to be written….
Three World records
In 1980 more than 7000 spectators cheered on Britain’s Daley Thompson who set a fantastic new World record (8622pts) in the Decathlon.
Two years later, the Briton returned with the mission of recapturing the record which in the mean-time had been won back by Germany’s Guido Kratschmer, and the British Olympic champion duly established Götzis’ second World record (8704pts).
Significantly, witnessing the growing public appeal of the meeting almost 10,000 spectators attended in 1987 to watch Germans Siegfried Wentz and Anke Behmer win.
In 1994 meeting welcomed two new stars who would both become Olympic champions, the former also a World champion the very next year. These two athletes were Ghada Shouaa from Syria, who set a new Asian record (6715pts) and a seasonal world best in the Heptathlon, and Erki Nool of Estonia who win the Decathlon with a new national record (8575pts). In the process Nool made a fantastic 8.10m long jump! 14 Decathletes in total surpassed the magic 8000 points.
More latterly the Decathlon title has fallen to the might of the two great Czech’s Tomas Dvorak and Roman Sebrle. Five Götzis titles have been won between them, but none more special than the 9026 points total amassed by Sebrle in 2001 which of course still stands as the World record.
Quality in depth
The depth and quality of the performances witnessed during its history is Götzis’ greatest triumph. In the Heptathlon there have been 30 results over 6570 points by 19 athletes, and 213 results over 6000 points by 101 athletes, while in the Decathlon there has been 1 result over 9000 points (World record), 44 results over 8460 points by 22 athletes, and 200 results over 8000 points by 81 athletes.
IAAF
For more information click here for the official meeting site
Götzis Winners
Heptathlon
2003 Carolina Klüft SWE
2002 Shelia Burrell USA
2001 Eunice Barber FRA
2000 Eunice Barber FRA
1999 Nathan DeDee USA
1998 Belova Irina RUS
1997 Lewis Denise GBR
1996 Shouaa Ghada SYR
1995 Shouaa Ghada SYR
1994 Braun Sabine BRD
1993 Dimitrova Svetla BUL
1992 Braun Sabine BRD
1991 Braun Sabine BRD
1990 Braun Sabine BRD
1989 Behmer Anke DDR
1988 Behmer Anke DDR
1987 Behmer Anke DDR
1986 Joyner Jacky USA
1985 Frederick Jane USA
1984 Vlnogradova Nadeshda URS
1983 Shubenkova Natalya URS
1982 Frederick Jane USA
1981 Frederick Jane USA
1980 Smirnov Yekaterina URS
1979 Frederick Jane USA
1978 Frederick Jane USA
1977 Konihowski Eliane CAN
1976 Jones Diane CAN
1975 Burglinde DDR
Decathlon
2003 Sebrle Roman CZE
2002 Sebrle Roman CZE
2001 Sebrle Roman CZE
2000 Dvorak Tomas CZE
1999 Dvorak Tomas CZE
1998 Nool Erki EST
1997 Hämäläinen Eduard FIN
1996 Smith Michael CAN
1995 Nool Erki EST
1994 Hämäläinen Eduard BLS
1993 Hämäläinen Eduard BLS
1992 Zmelik Robert CSR
1991 Smith Michael CAN
1990 Schenk Christian DDR
1989 Plaziat Christian FRA
1988 Freimuth Uwe DDR
1987 Wentz Siegfried BRD
1986 Kratschmer Guido BRD
1985 Freimuth Uwe DDR
1984 Degtyaryov Grigory URS
1983 Degtyaryov Grigory URS
1982 Thompson Daley GBR/WR
1981 Zeilbauer Sepp AUT
1980 Thompson Daily GBR/WR
1979 Dubois Thierry FRA
1978 Kratschmer Guido BRD
1977 Zeilbauer Sepp AUT
1976 Kratschmer Guido BRD
1975 Kratky Petr CSSR Pollak
