Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan, the Asian Games Decathlon winner (© Getty Images)
MEN – Combined Events
Decathlon
It was another low-key season in the men’s Decathlon with none of the very highest standard scores achieved. Reigning World champion Bryan Clay (USA) grabbed the win from the Götzis meeting with a world leading total score of 8677 points. This was Clay’s only complete Decathlon of the season as he didn’t finish at the US Championships. World record holder and reigning Olympic champion Roman Sebrle (CZE) did not finish in Götzis, but succeeded when he needed to winning the European Championships in Gothenburg with a season’s best 8526, enough to hold second place in the world year list. Sebrle also concluded the season ranked number one in the Decathlon.
Another American, 22-year-old Trey Hardee scored a big personal best winning the Texas Relays with a total of 8465 in April, but was not able to repeat his performance later. He finished only 9th at the NCAA Championships unable to clear the opening height in the Pole Vault (PB 5.21m) and was unable to finish the Decathlon at the US Championships. 2004 Olympic bronze medallist (with Asian record of 8725).
Dmitriy Karpov was the overall IAAF Combined Events Challenge winner in 2006, taking victory at the Talence meeting in September with a season’s best of 8438. He scored another big win at the Asian Games in Doha in December with a total of 8384.
Despite missing top points performances there was a definite increase in the overall depth. 27 athletes topped 8000 points during the 2006 season, in 2005 there were only 19, 33 in 2004 and 22 in 2003. USA is the top country in the event with 19 athletes in the world top 100, Germany has seven and Russia six.
WOMEN - Combined Events
Heptathlon
Carolina Klüft (SWE) had another year as the undisputed No 1, and took the Overall IAAF Combined Events Challenge title for the fourth consecutive year.
Despite being hampered all season by a injury that influenced her sprinting speed (mostly notable in 200m and the 100m Hurdles) she won her three Heptathlons (Götzis, European Cup Super League, and European Championships) by between 263 and 317 points and her lowest score was more than 200 points better than the best by anyone else.
How much Klüft has spoilt us during the last handful of years is well demonstrated by the feeling that her 6740 points winning total was a disappointment despite the fact that it constituted a new European Championships record!
Since 2003 it has only been a healthy Eunice Barber that has been capable of putting up real challenge to the Swede. The 63 points difference in Helsinki last year is actually the only time in Klüft's twelve Heptathlons in the last four years that the wnning margin has been less than 246 points!
With Klüft still only 23-years-old we probably have to look for someone of an even younger generation to find a realistic challenger for Beijing 2008 and onwards. There is a tight group of athletes around 6400 but they all are either older than or belong to the same generation as Klüft, so there is little indicating they have an untapped 7000 points potential.
But it is quite possible that we have already have a challenger in the making in the World Junior champion from Beijing 2006. Russian Tatyana Chernova scored 6227 there – and she still has one more year as a junior. Klüft's World Junior Record of 6542 might come under serious attack from Chernova in 2007!
