2008 Woodie Awards
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Men's decathlon
by Emerald Sports Desk |
American Record: Dan O'Brien, 8,891
2007 U.S. Champion: Tom Pappas, 8,352
2004 Olympic Trials Champion: Bryan Clay, 8,660
Top 5 Seed Times
1.) Bryan Clay, 8,493
2.) James Hardee, 8,371
3.) Tom Pappas, 8,352
4.) Robert Arnold, 8,215
5.) Mustafa Abdur-Rahim, 8,106
The men's decathlon has enough intrigue this year to hold the crowd's attention for both days. Tom Pappas, 32, who starred at Lane Community College more than a decade ago before winning five U.S. outdoor titles and the 2000 Olympic Trials, has proved he has staying power by coming in ranked third.
Pappas was the gold-medal favorite in 2004 before losing to eventual silver medalist Bryan Clay in Sacramento. Clay is still considered a favorite despite losing the last two U.S. titles.
James "Trey" Hardee set the collegiate record three years ago while at the University of Texas-Austin with his score of 8,456 but did not compete in 2007 due to injury. He has the best decathlon by an American this year, ranked seventh in the world.
In Oregon's Ashton Eaton, the competition goes from the established to the wild card. The Olympic Trials will be Eaton's seventh decathlon ever, but in his sixth, two weeks ago, he won an NCAA title in Des Moines, Iowa with a score of 8,055. He improved by more than 1,000 points during this 2008 season, and a few hundred more - plus a lot of luck - might put Eaton in the mix. Eaton is seeded seventh.
2007 U.S. Champion: Tom Pappas, 8,352
2004 Olympic Trials Champion: Bryan Clay, 8,660
Top 5 Seed Times
1.) Bryan Clay, 8,493
2.) James Hardee, 8,371
3.) Tom Pappas, 8,352
4.) Robert Arnold, 8,215
5.) Mustafa Abdur-Rahim, 8,106
The men's decathlon has enough intrigue this year to hold the crowd's attention for both days. Tom Pappas, 32, who starred at Lane Community College more than a decade ago before winning five U.S. outdoor titles and the 2000 Olympic Trials, has proved he has staying power by coming in ranked third.
Pappas was the gold-medal favorite in 2004 before losing to eventual silver medalist Bryan Clay in Sacramento. Clay is still considered a favorite despite losing the last two U.S. titles.
James "Trey" Hardee set the collegiate record three years ago while at the University of Texas-Austin with his score of 8,456 but did not compete in 2007 due to injury. He has the best decathlon by an American this year, ranked seventh in the world.
In Oregon's Ashton Eaton, the competition goes from the established to the wild card. The Olympic Trials will be Eaton's seventh decathlon ever, but in his sixth, two weeks ago, he won an NCAA title in Des Moines, Iowa with a score of 8,055. He improved by more than 1,000 points during this 2008 season, and a few hundred more - plus a lot of luck - might put Eaton in the mix. Eaton is seeded seventh.
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