Does Anybody Know What is the Fastest 1500m in a Decathlon?

Here are the 3 best from the 2004 Olympics.

1. Santiago Lorenzo (Arg) 4:23.08s 791pts Personal Best

2. Vitaliy Smirnov (Uzb) 4:23.31s 789pts Personal Best

3. Victor Covalenko (Mol) 4:23.81s 786pts

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/athletics/results/3532992.stm

I am more impressed by bronze medalist Dmitriy Karpov running 46.81 for the 400.

i saw a collegiate distance runner (not a very good one, mind you) compete in the decathlon. IIRC, he ran around 4:00. unfortunately, this was in the days before results were posted online religiously so i can't link it. i would imagine there have been similar instances out there.

Bruce Jenner ran 4:08 at Montreal for the gold and a WR.

Kip Janvrin, 2000 USA Olympic Decathlete, has run a 4:09 in a Decathlon. He actually won the Sydney Olympic Decathlon 1500 at 35yrs old (the oldest Olympic Decathlete ever to compete).

I'm sure there probably have been faster 1500's run in a Decathlon, but not by an elite 8400-8500 point Decathlete like Kip.

I suppose Geb could enter a decathlon, smoke a 1500 and pussyfoot the other 9 events. I assumed the guy was asking about legit decathletes, not some flyer who entered on a lark.

I remember seeing Tim Bright (a converted pole vaulter) hold up a meet (maybe the olympics) because everybody else was done in the 16 feet range but he was still trying at 18 feet.

paul cummings ran 3:58 (or close to that) when competing in a Decath in HS. he did finish the decath but can't remember what the points - maybe a ....

plastic fantastiq lover wrote:

Bruce Jenner ran 4:08 at Montreal for the gold and a WR.

Almost right.

**********

In the 1500 meters Jenner ran conservatively at first, then gunned it at the bell, clocking the final 400 meters in an eye-opening 61 seconds. He had recorded a lifetime best in his final event, 4:12.61, and a gaping world record, 8618 points.

Can't provide a cite right now, but I recall hearing that the fastest 1500 in a 'world class' decathlon (7000+ points) was 3:53.

Obviously a top miler could run faster, but then they wouldn't be able to score anywhere near 7000 points.

Asterix wrote:

Obviously a top miler could run faster, but then they wouldn't be able to score anywhere near 7000 points.

Except maybe Webb.

BadGuy wrote:

Kip Janvrin, 2000 USA Olympic Decathlete, has run a 4:09 in a Decathlon. He actually won the Sydney Olympic Decathlon 1500 at 35yrs old (the oldest Olympic Decathlete ever to compete).

I'm sure there probably have been faster 1500's run in a Decathlon, but not by an elite 8400-8500 point Decathlete like Kip.

Maybe he has gone 4:09 in a decathlon 1500, but not that one. Though he did win it.

21. Kip Janvrin USA 1500 1. 4:17.81

(the last part of the address should read Men's_decathlon. For some reason the apostrophe is causing a posting error)

Dean Massey clocked 46.41 in the 400.

Bruce Jenner ran 47.51 and 4:12.6 in Montreal in 1976.

Bill Toomey's 400 in the decathlon in Mexico City in 1968 was 45.6.

Joe Detmer of Wisconsin ran a 4:04 1500 in his decathlon for the collegiate record, and I think holds the record for the indoor 1k record for the decathlon or whatever multi-event thingy they do indoors

In the Ontario Decathlon Championships, way back in 1976, two of Canada's best at the time, staged a great battle that carried right into the last event. John Gamble beat Tony Verhoeven 4:03.7 to 4:04.4 in the 1500 metres to win the title with 7,205 points to Verhoeven's 7,149. I saw the two of them run similar times on other occasions, which frustrated me royally, as I couldn't even run that fast as a middle distance type!

I think some 800 runner (maybe dave wottle?) did a decathlon one time for the sole purpose of setting the decathlon 1500 world record. Not sure of his time, though.

I know the NCAA D2 record is Jeremy Bradley of Lock Haven in 2002, ran like a 4:11 at conference. That guy was a badass runner, would go out in like 57 and try and hang on...

"Nine Mickey Mouse events followed by a slow 1500 metres."

--Steve Ovett--

watch some CHiPs re-runs to lose that respect instantly

its kinda stupid how decathletes put up borderline world class marks in the first nine events and then run a 4:30 1500m at the end.......

the funny thing is middle distance type guys, that are even respectable upper body, can hit 11 flat, 22high, 46, easily for 1,2,4 and also run 3:30 for the 15.

With that speed, a 110h should be around 13.8-14.2, not blazing. If the guy could just put down decent throws, and a decent jumps/vault and rocketed the 4 in 46, and the 15 in 3:40 he would score a dookie load of pts in the 4 and 15.

would it make up for the 110h, the shot, discus, jave, and if the guy could be decent on the high jump, long jump, and PV, well then you might have a dam fine decathlete.

Funny thing is, some of the best high jumpers are small guys, and some of the best long jumpers can't run a 100 in under 10.2. I know for a fact, that the best PV guys can't run nowhere near 10.5. Maybe 10.8. So if the middle distance specialist could also Jump and PV exceptionally well, with a medium build that didn't get him crushed in the discus and jave, and shot then he would have a spittin' chance of being up there and possibly over 8500 pts. But he'd still have to be dam good at jumping, and dam good at his technique for throwing. and he'd have to perform near his best for each event.

Possible, but unlikely.

Furthest I've seen a mid distance guy (bout solinsky size) throw a shot was 45 in High school. He might have gotten up to 55 with incredible coaching. But the top guys throw 60-65.

For the Jave, maybe 180. lmao. for the discus...well thats just dam near impossible. If a mid distance runner could throw a discus over 160 i'd be impressed.

I had a team mate that ran about 4:40 and incredibly jumped 6'2" in the high, with some help he might have gotten to 7" maybe by end of college. He also did the long jump in 20ft and maybe could have gotten up to 24, not impressive. His triple though was amazing, he could jump dam near 50 so maybe. I think someone with a Webb/Symmonds build could put one up there around 16.

the 110h is an interesting event because you don't need 10 flat speed to break 13 in it. Lui Xiang is nowhere near 10.1. His skill comes from taking impossibly powerful quick steps and being extremely quick over the hurdles. His build does remind of a mid-d guy. I think with training someone with a similar build as Webb (+2 inches) could probably hit 13.8-14.2 in a lucky race. This guy would have to run 11 flat for the 100, and then 13.8-14.2 for the 110. And he can't mess up. No room for error.

So from the jumps, this guy would get 2400 pts or so at best.

from the throws, lol, maybe 1900 pts at best.

but from the runs, watchout. from the two short sprints, about 1900.

from the 4, about 950.

from the 15, well over 1000.

this would be in competition of course. 8200 or so won't win anything really. respectable. maybe a national championship. But you gotta put something in the 8800 range to win. and 8500 to maybe get a medal.

here is the best this distance guy could possibly do IMO

Event Result Points

100m 11.0 860

Long jump 7.0 810

Shot put 14.00 720

High jump 2.1 900

400m 46.50 1000

110m hurdles 14.2 970

Discus throw 46.00 780

Pole vault 4.8 840

Javelin throw 56.0 670

1500m 3:35 (lmao) 1140

Total score 8700.

you usually take the best score (all their PR's) and deduct about 2-400 from it. so 8300-8500.

and they'd HAVE to run 3:35 without pacers at the end of all that shit. Good luck. thats the best a Mid-D guy could ever be. I am now never trying this event.