Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan, the Asian Games Decathlon winner (© Getty Images)
Dimitriy Karpov was virtually assured of victory in the men’s Decathlon even before the two-day competition started, but the manner in which the tall Kazakh handily dispatched his competition at the 15th Asian Games in Doha sends a clear message to the rest of his rivals.
The 2004 Athens Olympics bronze medallist took command of the competition on day 1 by building a healthy 449-point lead after winning four of the five disciplines - the 100m, the Long Jump, the Shot Put, and the 400m.
He then added two more victories on day two to eventually have a whooping 615 pts ahead of second placed Uzbekistani Vitaliy Smirnov with South Korea’s Kim Kun-Woo taking bronze 104 points further adrift.
“I am happy with victory,” he said after improving on his silver medal from Busan four years ago. “It is so late in the season, but it was a great result.”
Impressive year
Victory in Doha capped an outstanding year for the 25-year-old, ranked second in the world behind Czech Republic’s World record holder Roman Sberle.
Karpov’s consistent season earned him the men’s title of the IAAF World Combined Events Challenge 2006 with victories in Talence (France), Ratingen (Germany), and Gotzis (Austria) lifting him above his archrival Sebrle in the final standings, but the former says beating Sebrle was never the main objective.
“It has been a wonderful year for me,” he says. “I am happy with my progress. I have prepared well throughout the year.”
“Whenever I try, I try to beat myself first and the competition last,” he says. “This year I have been able to defeat myself very well. I am not too worried about competition.”
Born for the Decathlon
Karpov was born in Karaganda, the third most populous city in Kazakhstan behind Almaty and the capital Astana.
“I practiced many sports as a child, but I liked the throwing events,” says the 1.98m tall athlete. “I was very versatile and therefore it is no surprise that I am now a decathlete.”
He burst on the international scene in 2000 when he finished fourth over the Decathlon in the 8th IAAF/Coca Cola World Junior Championships in Santiago, Chile. But it took him time to announce himself in senior competition.
“I had to learn everyday,” he said. “I had to work hard for where I am today. It has not been easy.”
Karpov learned his lessons well in the 14th Asian Games in Busan, South Korea where he finished a close second behind China’s Qi Haifeng. The following year, he earned his country’s first World Championship medal when winning bronze in the 9th IAAF World Championships in Paris, France.
But after winning another bronze, this time in the 28th Athens Olympics, the Kazakh had a time to forget in the 10th IAAF World Championships in Helsinki, Finland where he failed to even finish his competition due to injury.
“I have learned to live with injuries,” he says. “It was difficult getting back to shape in 2006 after all the injury problems in 2005.”
Our brothers
Karpov might have proved too strong for Asia in Doha, but he has very happy to share the podium from Vitaliy Smirnov, an athlete from Kazakhstan’s neighbour Uzbekistan.
“It was wonderful for Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan to be together,” he said. “We are more than brothers, more than friends, and we’re not directly competing on the field, only on the track.”
“I can achieve more”
The Olympic bronze medallist will take a well-earned rest after winning his first major Games gold, but is still driven with ambition when he talks about his future plans.
“I want to win gold in Osaka,” he says. “I had a terrible time in Helsinki and I hope I can improve next year.”
Elshadai Negash for the IAAF
