Edgars Erinš set a new Latvian record while he improved 8312 points. Latvian previous record belonged to Janis Karlivans with 8271 points (Götzis 2007).
Leonel Suarez won an Olympic bronze medal twice: at the Beijing Olympic Games (2008) and at the London Olympic Games (2012). He holds Cuban national record for the decathlon with 8654 points. Winner of the 2011 IAAF Combined Events Challenge.
Eugene Martineau was a two-time Olympic decathlete from the Netherlands, a national champion, and a consistent world-class performer with a career best over 8200 points.
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