Decathlon Events in Order: All 10

The decathlon runs its ten events in a fixed order over two days. Day one is the 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 metres; day two is the 110 metres hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and, finally, the 1500 metres.

That order is set by World Athletics, the sport’s world governing body, and it is the same at the Olympics and World Championships. Below is the full running order with what each event tests, how the scoring works, and why the closing 1500 metres is the event decathletes dread most.

The ten events in order

The decathlon is a men’s combined event (the women’s equivalent is the seven-event heptathlon). The events alternate between sprints, jumps, throws and a distance run, deliberately arranged so no athlete’s specialty dominates.

Order	Day	Event	Type
1	Day 1	100 metres	Sprint
2	Day 1	Long jump	Jump
3	Day 1	Shot put	Throw
4	Day 1	High jump	Jump
5	Day 1	400 metres	Sprint
6	Day 2	110 metres hurdles	Sprint/hurdles
7	Day 2	Discus throw	Throw
8	Day 2	Pole vault	Jump
9	Day 2	Javelin throw	Throw
10	Day 2	1500 metres	Middle distance

This sequence never changes in official competition. Day one opens with the explosive 100 metres and closes with the punishing 400 metres; day two opens with the 110 metres hurdles and ends with the 1500 metres, the only true endurance test in the whole programme.

How the scoring works

Winning the decathlon is not about finishing first in any single event. Instead, each performance, a time, a distance or a height, is converted into points using official World Athletics scoring tables. A faster sprint, a longer throw or a higher jump earns more points. After all ten events, the athlete with the highest points total wins.

This points system is why the decathlon rewards the most complete athlete rather than a specialist. A world-class sprinter who cannot throw or vault will lose to a well-rounded competitor who scores solidly across all ten. The best decathletes in history have pushed past 9,000 points, a benchmark first broken by Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic and later exceeded by Ashton Eaton of the United States.

Why the order matters

The fixed order is not arbitrary; it spreads different physical demands across the two days so athletes must manage their energy. Day one front-loads speed and power, then ends with the lactic-acid burn of the 400 metres. Day two starts technical (hurdles, discus, the highly demanding pole vault) before finishing with the 1500 metres, a middle-distance run that punishes athletes built for explosive power. Because it comes last, the 1500 metres often decides the medals: a decathlete who has banked a lead over nine events can still lose it if a rival is a much stronger runner, which is what makes the closing lap one of the most dramatic finishes in athletics.

The idea of a set event sequence appears elsewhere in multi-discipline sports, from the order of a triathlon to the individual medley order in swimming, but the decathlon packs the widest variety of skills into a single competition.

The events, briefly explained

• 100 metres — a flat-out sprint that opens the competition and sets an early tone.
• Long jump — sprint down a runway and jump for maximum distance from the take-off board.
• Shot put — throw a heavy metal ball for distance from a small circle.
• High jump — clear a horizontal bar at increasing heights.
• 400 metres — a full lap of the track, the hardest of the day-one events.
• 110 metres hurdles — sprint over ten barriers to open day two.
• Discus — spin and hurl a heavy disc for distance.
• Pole vault — use a flexible pole to clear a high bar; technically the most complex event.
• Javelin — a running throw of a spear-like implement for distance.
• 1500 metres — the endurance finale, roughly three and three-quarter laps.

The greats of the event

The decathlon has produced some of track and field’s most celebrated all-rounders. Ashton Eaton (USA) won back-to-back Olympic titles and held the world record; Roman Sebrle (Czech Republic) was the first past 9,000 points; and earlier legends such as Daley Thompson (Great Britain), Rafer Johnson (USA) and Bob Mathias (USA) dominated their eras. Perhaps the most famous of all in the United States is Bruce Jenner (now Caitlyn Jenner), whose world-record gold at the 1976 Montreal Olympics turned the decathlon champion into a national celebrity. Because the title is traditionally associated with being crowned the “world’s greatest athlete,” decathlon winners occupy a special place in the sport, much like the standout sprinters featured in our list of the greatest male sprinters.

The short version: the decathlon’s ten events run in a fixed two-day order set by World Athletics, day one is 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m; day two is 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500m. Points are awarded per event from official tables, the highest total wins, and the closing 1500 metres, tackled after two exhausting days, is the event most decathletes fear and the one that often decides the medals.