It has been a long time since a Swiss man exceeded 8000 points for decathlon. It was in 2003, to be exact, when Rolf Schläfli achieved 8019 in Götzis and became only the 5th man ever over 8000.
The Decathlon's nice in that you get to know the other athletes. It's almost like everyone helps each other out. We're all out there trying to win, but at the same time there's a friendship there too. It's always fun going to meets and catching up with the other guys - Tom Pappas