Real records!? (6)

Is an athlete a real decathlete?
I think that's the problem here. A lot of the names mentioned above did a decathlon/heptathlon once or twice, but mostly for fun.
Desruelles, Hubacher, Rybakov, Wessig, Lavillenie, Galfione, Lobinger - it is no coincidence they did not perform very well.
On the other hand we've got men like Drut, Doucouré and Lusis who at the beginning of their career really tried to be real decathletes, and were pretty succesfull (let's hope Eusebio Caceres will be inspired too).
In short: let's not include one-discipline-top-performers in the ranks of the real decathletes, just in order to prove that decathletes are real athletes.

Kees Sluys

Good first sentence Kees! And you’re right! Is an athlete a real decathlete? The answer is no. The article (or the lists) give proof to that idée if you know the multi event pb’s. Although we gave some minimums, you probably have to be a fan to know more details! There you have a point Kees! You want to give us more hours of work!
1) The article is clearly honest about the fact that this are mixed pr’s from people participating in multi’s.
2) The article is not intended to answer fans but critics that don’t value the sport. They don’t appreciate decathlon and ventilate their ideas. They can’t identify with it or sense some sympathy. To them the list are a small answer. To the fan? Aren’t there already many lists for them? An article about those lists would have been completely needless!
3) Indeed athletes now and then try to proof their versatility. But each one of them know that the elite decathletes are a league of their own.
4) Some start their career with multi’s. Some end it that way. Some – like Ladji Doucouré - hoped year after year to participate (again) in decathlon but were injured or their training program was an obstacle . Some decathletes are even such a good scorers in one particular event that they specialize in one direction (like Tim Bright an Aleksandr Averbukh). If a critic will ask this specialists, questions about decathlon, he will get a refutation.
5) We have to be aware for ambivalence and preconceived opinion. Some of these decathletes are also in the “official” lists of records in decathlons over 7000 p. Never heard anyone disagreeing, because the fan knows how to relativize the list. Although the 7000 point rule in this lists is probably a good one we can ask ourselves another question – Who ever said 7000 must be the limit? For example, why not the world record minus 1000 points, why not 6900, why not giving proof of a lifetime pb total of 8000 or 7000? I’m not judging. Who has the right to decide? I like to hear ideas and especially the reason why!
6) Also names are summoned of 8000+ athletes like Eaton, Huffins, Nool, Hodge, Toomey, Demmel, Clay and Detmer!

Continuation
7) The article gives only the top three performances. If it was a top six, the reader would know there is always an 8000+ decathlete in it except for the 1500. Therefore (as far as our knowledge reaches at the moment) the names for high jump, hurdles, pole vault and javelin. Fifth name in high jump: Thomas Eriksson 2.32 (pb 8025). 110 Hurdles: number four is Petr Svoboda 13.27 (pb 7018), five Frank Busemann 13.45 (pb 8706). Pole vault: 4) Lawrence Johnson 5.98 (pb 7576) 5)Philippe Collet 5.94 (pb 7011) 6) Aleksandr Averbukh 5.93 (8084). Javelin Leonel Suarez 77.47 (pb 8654). The best 1500 performance for a 8000+ decathlete is 4 00.00 from Herbert Peter (pb 8147). As for an 8000 performer in the 60 hurdles: fourth Frank Busemann 7.52. If it is simple to be an elite decathlete performing 8000+ then there’s another challenge in trying to smash this combined records!
8) As an answer to critics the list shows at least what some decathletes can do if they specialze in one event.
9) “Is an athlete a real decathlete? I think that's the problem here.” Sometimes we are expressing ourselves in a way that is clear to ourselves but not to another. As a much better writer than I am you know this very well Kees. To understand why it is written, that’s probably the real problem here. Apologies therefore!
10) The scores are purely informative.
11) One conclusion (mostly) is, the more someone specializes in one direction, logically the less he wil do in decathlon. And vice versa as a decathlete. For example Razvigor Yankov (decathlon at the Olympics in 1980) later threw 19.08 in the shot put.
12) “Let's not include one-discipline-top-performers in the ranks of the real decathletes, just in order to prove that decathletes are real athletes”? I agree, I have the same opinion! Although now and then someone is born with all the tools to be a great decathlete but never tested it, I’m still convinced that the performances of the top decathletes are awesome and almost incredible!

Chris, thanks for the 'more hours of work' you did!
Of course the performances of top decathletes are almost incredible.
Let's hope we really can convince some low knowledge journalists...
See you in Götzis!

Kees

You can buy me a pint there Kees!

I have seen this listed on a couple of occasions

dubbia lettura dell'anemometro - faulty wind gauge
10:02 a.m. 1.2 1 RONALD DESRUELLES BEL 55 Naimette-Xhovémont 11-5-1985