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Commonwealth Games: Men s decathlon

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Athletics Weekly   Jul 22nd 2014, 4:36pm
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A look back at the history of this ten-discipline event at the Commonwealth Games

Sixty two years after it was first held in the Olympics, and 26 years after the first Games, the Commonwealth finally and inexplicably provided an all-round competition for the men in 1966.

New Zealander Roy Williams, brother of four-time Commonwealth champion Yvette Williams, won with a modest 7270, which would be 7133 on the current tables. He was dominant in most events but was weaker in the shot and javelin than runner-up Clive Longe of Wales.

The second event in Edinburgh was another poor quality affair by European standards, but made up for it in excitement with the event only decided in the 1500 metres. England s Peter Gabbett led but lost ground with a poor 3.30m pole vault and moderate javelin and he had to make ground up in the 1500m on Australian Geoff Smith. He made a brave bid with a 62 first lap but slowed and couldn t quite make up enough and fell 23 points short as Barry King won a second English medal.

The 1970 pole vault champion Mike Bull added to his medal collection when he won the 1974 title. The Northern Ireland athlete sewed up victory with a 5.00m vault, a height that only he had previously bettered in a pole vault final. King advanced to second.

After three competitions in the low to mid 7000s, it all changed in 1978. Daley Thompson started with a 10.50 100m and a windy 8.11m long jump and he had a 541-point lead overnight and won by 800 points adding around 1000 points to the Games record. Alan Drayton beat his English team-mate Buster Watson into fourth. Watson became a useful sprinter, making the 200m final in the 1982 Games. Thompson s score of 8467 would have been a British and Commonwealth record but for the windy long jump.

Thompson was the world record holder by 1982 but he took it relatively easy at the end of season in Brisbane and won by 400 points from Dave Steen who also bettered 8000 points. England s Fidelis Obikwu was an isolated third.

Three athletes broke that barrier in 1986 as the event was a world class competition with Thompson in command with a 10.37 100m and scoring 8863 points to win his gold medal by close on 500 points. Steen was again second while Simon Poelman took third for New Zealand.

Thompson had retired by 1990 and Mike Smith, who was a well beaten seventh with 7363 in 1986 won gold for Canada in a top class 8525 points. Poelman was 300 points back in second while a further 500 points back, Eugene Gilkes won a distant battle with English team-mate Alex Kruger for the bronze.

Smith retained his title with similar domination in 1994 from Australian Peter Winter while just missing 8000 points in third was former Australian Simon Shirley, who narrowly won bronze for England.

Australia dominated the 1998 competition with Jagan Hames scoring a good all round 8490 points to win from compatriot Scott Ferrier, who became the first silver medallist to better 8300 points. Smith took third place and former European 400m champion Du aine Ladejo was the leading Briton in seventh with 7633 points.

There was a drop in standard in Manchester in 2002 and Claston Bernard gained gold for Jamaica with a score of just 7830 and Jamie Quarrie gained Scotland s first ever medal in this event in third.

The 2006 event was a higher standard and saw Dean Macey (pictured) finally get a gold medal after world medals and a pair of Olympic fourths. Macey won with a little in hand, scoring 8143 with the other medallists Maurice Smith of Jamaica and Aussie Jason Dudley also bettering 8000 points.

Also over that barrier in 2010 was Canadian Jamie Adjetey-Nelson who won from New Zealander Brett Newdick. It was a competitive battle for bronze with Martin Brockman finishing the 1500m strongly to take third for England.

Gold medal winners

1966 Roy Williams (NZL) 7270
1970 Geoff Smith (AUS) 7492
1974 Mike Bull (NIR) 7417
1978 Daley Thompson (ENG) 8467w
1982 Daley Thompson (ENG) 8410
1986 Daley Thompson (ENG) 8663
1990 Michael Smith (CAN) 8525
1994 Michael Smith (CAN) 8326
1998 Jagan Hames (AUS) 8490
2002 Claston Bernard (JAM) 7830
2006 Dean Macey (ENG) 8143
2010 Jamie Adjetey-Nelson (CAN) 8070

British medallists

Gold: Bull (NIR: 1974), Thompson (Eng: 1978, 1982, 1986), Macey (Eng: 2006)
Silver: Clive Longe (Wal: 1966), Pete Gabbett (Eng: 1970), Barry King (Eng: 1974)
Bronze: King (1970), Alan Drayton (Eng: 1978), Fidelis Obikwu (Eng: 1982), Simon Shirley (Eng: 1994), Jamie Quarrie (Sco: 2002), Martin Brockman (Eng: 2010)

Find other event-by-event histories here and an overall history of the Commonwealth Games here

The post Commonwealth Games: Men’s decathlon appeared first on Athletics Weekly.



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