Jiri Ryba achieved 6th place at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton, Canada, scoring 8332 points. He secured a bronze medal at the 1995 European Junior Championships in Nyíregyháza, Hungary, with 7271 points.
European Cup Combined Events Super League in Tallinn 1997 is remembered for Roman Šebrle's outstanding performance, which played a crucial role in the Czech Republic's team victory.
By its fourth year, the Challenge had begun to establish itself as an important platform not just for stars, but also for rising athletes to measure themselves across multiple competitions, creating more depth in decathlon and heptathlon.
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