Since 1922, 38 decathlon world records have been set - 8 at the Olympics, with the last in 1984—but score comparisons over time are difficult due to multiple changes in the points tables.
Recommended books by various authors like Joel P Smith, Harry Marra, John Rap, Bert Vreeswijk, Frédéric Gousset, Mike Chapman, Framk Zarnowski and Dale Harder
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