US decathlete Garrett Scantling (© Getty Images)
Garrett Scantling scored 8867 points to move to seventh on the world decathlon all-time list, while Anna Hall also secured her heptathlon title in style at the USATF Combined Events Championships in Fayetteville on Friday and Saturday (6-7).
Scantling’s performance adds more than 200 points to his previous best achieved when winning at last year’s US Olympic Trials, with the 28-year-old going on to finish fourth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
In Fayetteville he moved into the lead after the pole vault, overtaking day one leader Kyle Garland, who also impressed with a collegiate record of 8720. Zach Ziemek placed third with 8573.
THAT DECATHLON 🤯
— USATF (@usatf) May 8, 2022
Garrett Scantling leaves the USATF Combined Events Championships as a CHAMP!
🥇Garrett Scantling totaled 8867 for a world lead 😳
🥈Kyle Garland set a collegiate record of 8720 🤩
🥉Zach Ziemek racked up 8573 💥#JourneyToGold pic.twitter.com/GfSTVBbrop
In the heptathlon, Hall remained strong throughout and ended her competition with a 2:03.11 800m – the fourth-fastest ever 800m as part of a heptathlon.
She improved her PB and US collegiate record to 6458 to win by 274 points over Ashtin Mahler, with Michelle Atherley third.
Garland’s leading score at the end of the first day was 4660 points, with his results including PBs of 10.63 in the 100m and 7.86m in the long jump. Scantling had 4503 from performances including a 10.68 100m, 7.68m long jump PB and 48.38 400m.
Scantling started day two with a 13.59 110m hurdles PB, while Garland clocked a lifetime best of 13.71. Scantling then threw a big discus PB of 51.04m and was in the lead by 52 points after his 5.15m clearance in the pole vault.
Scantling topped the javelin with a 67.16m throw and then ran 4:46.37 in the 1500m to complete his 8867-point performance. Garland closed his campaign with a 4:43.21 PB.
Hall, meanwhile, set four individual PBs on the way to her 6458 US collegiate record score.
Anna Hall is a CHAMP! 🥇🇺🇸
— USATF (@usatf) May 7, 2022
Hall racked up a personal best of 6458 points to take a big win in the heptathlon at the USATF Combined Events Championships!
🥈Ashtin Mahler - 6184
🥉Michelle Atherley - 6154#JourneyToGold pic.twitter.com/cDRoeq1GhB
She opened with a PB of 13.21 in the 100m hurdles and then cleared 1.76m in the high jump, threw 12.51m in the shot put and led the 200m with a 23.14 PB on day one.
On day two, she long jumped a PB of 6.39m, threw the javelin 38.44m and then needed a time of 2:05.63 or faster to achieve the 6420 qualifying standard for the World Athletics Championships Oregon22.
She managed it by more than two seconds, running a PB of 2:03.11 to secure the standard and the title.
Mahler threw 50.07m in the javelin to move into second place and secured that with a 2:17.71 800m run for her score of 6184, with Atherley third with 6154.
Sisson sets US record
Saturday also featured USATF Half Marathon Championships action in Indianapolis and there Olympian Emily Sisson clocked 1:07:11 to break the US record, while Leonard Korir won the men's title after a battle with Futsum Zeinasellassie.
Sisson had gone through 5km in 15:54 and 10km in 31:57, and had a lead of almost five minutes by the 15km point, which she passed in 47:54. She went on to win by six minutes ahead of Andrea Pomaranski (1:13:12) and Allie Kieffer (1:13:16). The previous US record had been Sara Hall's 1:07:15 set in Houston in January.
Korir and Zeinasellassie had been part of the seven-strong leading men's group that passed 10km in 30:09 and went on to race all the way to the finish line, Korir eventually winning by one second in 1:02:35. Jacob Thomson was third in 1:02:46.
