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A few months after his decathlon record, Leo Neugebauer also broke the 22-year-old German indoor record in the heptathlon

IN MEMORIAM - Kurt Bendlin (1943 – 2024)

Andre Niklaus crowned his indoor career with the 2006 world heptathlon title in Moscow, scoring 6192 points. A two ‐time European U23 decathlon champion, the German combined events athlete achieved his decathlon personal best of 8371 points …

Andreas Rizzi combined sprint speed with all ‐round ability to become the 1981 West German decathlon champion. His career best came in Bernhausen in 1983, where he scored 8369 points, equivalent to 8326 under the 1985 scoring tables. With …

Arthur Abele won European decathlon gold on home soil in Berlin in 2018 and finished the season as the overall Combined Events Challenge winner. The German decathlete set his personal best of 8605 points in Ratingen in 2016 and earned European …

Christian Schenk was not sure he was the World`s Greatest Athlete after winning the Olympic gold medal in the decathlon in Seoul 1988

Christian Schenk's personal best was 8500 points, achieved in August 1993 in Stuttgart.

Dennis Leyckes claimed the world U20 decathlon title in Santiago in 2000 and later represented Germany at the Athens Olympics. His senior career included a decathlon personal best of 8310 points in Ratingen in 2006 and fourth place in the …

A close battle for the national decathlon title defined the East German Championships Cottbus 1988 at the Max ‐Reimann ‐Stadion. Uwe Freimuth won with 8290 points, just 14 ahead of Thomas Fahner, while Christian Schenk took bronze …

Rene Günther claimed the national decathlon title with 8013 points at the East German Championships Cottbus 1989, held at the Max ‐Reimann ‐Stadion. Thomas Halamoda finished second with 7086, ahead of Thomas Neumann with 7000. View …

Torsten Voss claimed the 1987 East German decathlon title in Dresden with 8429 points, finishing 201 ahead of Christian Schenk. Thomas Fahner completed the podium with 8060 points. Held on 6–7 June alongside the East Germany–Soviet Union …

Torsten Voss captured the national decathlon title at the East German Championships Erfurt 1982 with 8387 points, equivalent to 8397 under the 1985 scoring tables. Siegfried Stark earned silver with 8181 and Ronald Wiese bronze with 8087. The …

East German Championships Neubrandenburg 1983 saw Torsten Voss retain the national decathlon title with 8335 points, equivalent to 8331 under the 1985 scoring tables. Jörg ‐Peter Schäperkötter finished second with 8265 and Steffen Grummt …

East German Championships Neubrandenburg 1990 welcomed international competitors to the Jahnstadion, where Torsten Voss won the decathlon with 8275 points. Christian Schenk finished second with 8065, ahead of Czechoslovakia’s Robert Zmelik with …

East German Championships Potsdam 1984, held as part of the Olympischer Tag meeting, saw Uwe Freimuth win the decathlon with 8704 points — equivalent to 8792 points under the 1985 scoring tables and an East German record. Torsten Voss finished …

Uwe Freimuth secured his third consecutive national decathlon title at the East German Championships Potsdam 1986, scoring 8248 points. Jens Petersson took silver with 7663 and Thomas Halamoda bronze with 7624. The competition at the …

East German Olympic decathlon trials Potsdam 1984 saw Uwe Freimuth win with a national record of 8542 points, equivalent to 8597 under the 1985 scoring tables. Torsten Voss finished just seven points behind with 8535, followed by Hans …

East Germany – Soviet Union decathlon match Dresden 1985 saw Torsten Voss win with a world ‐leading 8559 points, including an 8. 00 m long jump. Uwe Freimuth finished second with 8504, ahead of Aleksandr Nevski with 8355. At the Heinz …

East Germany – Soviet Union decathlon match Dresden 1987 combined an international team contest with the East German national combined events championships at the Heinz ‐Steyer ‐Stadion. Torsten Voss won with 8429 points ahead of …

East Germany – Soviet Union decathlon match Neubrandenburg 1984 saw Aleksandr Apaichev win with 8642 points, equivalent to 8709 under the 1985 scoring tables. Uwe Freimuth finished second with 8553, ahead of Torsten Voss with 8505. The Soviet …

The 2018 European Athletics Championships in Berlin brought a dramatic changing of the guard in the men's decathlon. At 32, Germany's Arthur Abele overcame years of injuries to capture his first major outdoor championship medal – and European …

The men's decathlon at the 2002 European Athletics Championships in Munich, Germany, saw world record holder Roman Šebrle of the Czech Republic claim his first European title with an outstanding 8800 points. Estonia's defending champion Erki …

Niklas Kaul won the men's decathlon at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in Munich with 8545 points, securing Germany's second consecutive European decathlon title. Switzerland's Simon Ehammer claimed silver with a national record of 8468 …

The men's decathlon at the 1986 European Championships in Stuttgart featured one of the strongest competitions in combined events history. Great Britain's Daley Thompson successfully defended his European title with 8811 points, defeating long …

The Soviet Union edged East Germany by just 89 points to win the men’s team title at the 1985 European Cup Combined Events A Final in Krefeld on 7–8 September. Torsten Voss won the individual decathlon with 8352 points, ahead of Aleksandr …

Lennart Hedmark won the men’s decathlon at the inaugural European Cup Combined Events Final in Bonn on 22–23 September 1973, scoring 8120 points ahead of Yves Leroy and Ryszard Skowronek. Poland claimed the team title, beating the Soviet …

Siegfried Stark powered East Germany to victory at the 1979 European Cup Combined Events Final in Dresden on 1–2 September. He won the men’s decathlon with 8287 points, ahead of Guido Kratschmer (8053) and Aleksandr Nevski (7949). The hosts …

Frank Busemann led Germany to the men’s team title at the 1996 European Cup Combined Events Super League in Lage on 15–16 June, winning the decathlon with 8522 points. Kamil Damašek finished second with 8256 and Dirk ‐Achim Pajonk third …

Frank Busemann won Olympic decathlon silver in Atlanta 1996 with a personal best of 8706 points, including an 8. 07 m long jump and 13. 47 in the 110 m hurdles. The German decathlete followed that breakthrough with world bronze in Athens 1997, …

Frank Müller represented Germany in the Olympic decathlon at Barcelona 1992 and Atlanta 1996, finishing 13th and 14th respectively. His strongest wind ‐legal performance came on the Olympic stage in Atlanta, where he scored 8253 points, …

German men’s decathlon all-time list up to 8000 points. Leading the German men’s decathlon all-time list is Leo Neugebauer, who set the national record with a stunning 8961 points performance at the 2024 NCAA Championships in Eugene.

German men’s heptathlon all-time list up to 5800 points

Guido Kratschmer won an Olympic silver medal at the Montreal Olympic Games in 1976. German Sportspersonality of the Year 1980.

Guido Kratschmer was a world-class German decathlete known for setting a world record and winning major titles, despite a career frequently disrupted by injuries and missed Olympic opportunities.

Jan Felix Knobel won the world U20 decathlon title in Bydgoszcz 2008 with 7896 points and finished eighth at the World Championships in Daegu 2011. His best wind ‐legal decathlon score was 8288 points in Götzis 2011, while his highest total …

Jens Schulze is a former West German decathlete who won the national title in Hannover in 1986. He achieved his career best in Mannheim in 1984, scoring 8302 points under the contemporary tables, equivalent to 8255 with the 1985 scoring system. …

Jürgen Hingsen is a German decathlete who set three world records in the early 1980s, with performances worth 8741, 8825 and 8832 points under the 1985 scoring tables. Representing West Germany, he won silver at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic …

This story captures Jürgen Hingsen’s incredible achievements and records while highlighting the recurring theme of being overshadowed by Daley Thompson

Kai Kazmirek earned world decathlon bronze in London in 2017, a year after scoring a personal best of 8580 points to finish fourth at the Rio Olympics. The German decathlete also won the 2013 European U23 title and the 2015 Götzis Hypomeeting, …

Klaus Isekenmeier won the European U23 decathlon title in Turku in 1997, three years after taking silver at the U20 World Championships in Lisbon. The German decathlete set his personal best of 8310 points in Ratingen in 1997 and recorded nine …

eo Neugebauer broke Jürgen Hingsen's 39 ‐year ‐old German decathlon record with 8836 points in 2023, then raised the national record to 8961 at the 2024 NCAA Championships in Eugene. He went on to win Olympic silver in Paris in 2024, …

Manuel Eitel set a German U18 decathlon record in Bernhausen 2014, surpassing the previous mark held by Jan Felix Knobel. He went on to win European U23 bronze in Gävle 2019 and set a decathlon personal best of 8351 points in Götzis 2023. …

Mathias Brugger won heptathlon bronze at the 2016 World Indoor Championships in Portland, following European U20 decathlon silver in Tallinn in 2011. The German combined events athlete set his decathlon personal best of 8304 points in Götzis in …

Michael Schrader produced his finest decathlon at the 2013 World Championships in Moscow, winning silver with a personal best of 8670 points. The German decathlete also won the 2009 Götzis Hypomeeting with 8522 points, including an 8. 05 m long …

Mike Maczey won the individual decathlon competition at the 2002 European Cup Combined Events Super League in Bydgoszcz with 8104 points. His career best of 8461 points came in Götzis in 2000, while his indoor heptathlon best was 6015 points at …

Niklas Kaul became the youngest decathlon world champion in history when he won gold in Doha 2019 with a personal best of 8691 points. He had previously set a world U20 record of 8435 points with U20 implements while winning the European U20 title …

Bronze medals at the 2004 World U20 Championships in Grosseto and the 2005 European U23 Championships in Erfurt marked Norman Müller's rise in the decathlon. The German combined events athlete went on to score 8000+ points in 13 decathlons, …

Glenn Morris crowned his brief decathlon career with a world record of 7900 points at the Berlin 1936 Olympic Games on 7–8 August. Robert Clark won silver with 7601 points and Jack Parker took bronze with 7275, completing an American medal …

Mykola Avilov delivered a commanding performance at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, winning the decathlon in dominant style with a new world record.

Pascal Behrenbruch reached the peak of his decathlon career at the 2012 European Championships in Helsinki, winning gold with a personal best of 8558 points. The German decathlete also earned European U23 silver in Debrecen in 2007 and finished …

At the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Paul Meier captured the bronze medal with a personal best score of 8548 points. On 30 April 2004, he married high jumper Heike Henkel. They have a daughter, Marlene Meier.

Rainer Pottel won the European Cup decathlon in Birmingham 1981 with 8334 points, the world’s leading score that season. The East German also took European Cup silver in 1977 and later became Germany’s national decathlon coach.

Frank Busemann won the inaugural Ratingen Decathlon in 1997 with 8556 points, ahead of Klaus Isekenmeier (8310) and Stefan Schmid (8279). The first edition featured a strong German field, with four athletes surpassing the 8000-point mark.

Ratingen 1998 men’s decathlon was won by Klaus Isekenmeier with 8236 points in a very close contest ahead of Frank Busemann (8231) and Mike Maczey (8114), highlighting a tightly packed elite German field with multiple 8000 ‐point …

Ratingen 1999 men’s decathlon was won by Frank Busemann with 8414 points ahead of Klaus Isekenmeier (8222) and David Mewes (8107), featuring a tightly packed elite German field with multiple athletes above 8000 points and consistently strong all …

Stefan Schmid won the 2000 Ratingen Decathlon with 8485 points, leading an all-German podium. Mike Maczey finished second with 8004 points, just two points ahead of Klaus Isekenmeier (8002).

Stefan Schmid won the 2001 Ratingen Decathlon in Germany with 8287 points, successfully defending his title from the previous year. Frank Busemann finished second with 8192 points, just 95 points behind the winner, while Sebastian Knabe …

Ratingen 2002 men’s decathlon was won by Roman Šebrle with a dominant 8701 points ahead of Lev Lobodin (8433) and Jon Arnar Magnusson (8390), showcasing a world ‐class field with multiple athletes surpassing 8300 points and elite all …

Roman Šebrle of the Czech Republic won the 2003 Ratingen Decathlon in Germany with 8606 points, securing a commanding victory over Iceland's Jon Arnar Magnusson, who finished second with 8023 points. Germany's Sebastian Knabe completed the …

Dennis Leyckes won the Ratingen 2004 decathlon with 8172 points, followed by Florian Schönbeck (8044) and Stefan Drews (8032). The competition produced an all-German podium, with all three athletes surpassing 8000 points.

Andre Niklaus won the Ratingen 2005 decathlon with 8193 points, finishing 637 points ahead of Lars Albert (7556). Kenny Beele completed an all-German podium with 7285 points.

Dmitri Karpov of Kazakhstan won the men's decathlon at the 2006 Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting with 8414 points, finishing 65 points ahead of Jamaica's Maurice Smith, who set a national record with 8349 points. Germany's Dennis Leyckes …

Arthur Abele won the men's decathlon at the 2007 Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting with 8269 points, narrowly defeating fellow German Norman Müller, who finished second with 8244 points. Just 25 points separated the two athletes, while Jacob …

Leonel Suarez of Cuba won the men's decathlon at the 2008 Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting with 8451 points, finishing 79 points ahead of Germany's Arthur Abele, who scored 8372. Andre Niklaus completed the podium with 8273 points, while six …

The 2009 Ratingen decathlon was won by Cuba’s Yordani Garcia with 8348 points, narrowly ahead of Germany’s Norman Müller (8295), while Stefan Drews completed the podium in third with 7858 points.

The 2010 Ratingen decathlon was won by Cuba's Yordani Garcia with 8288 points, narrowly beating compatriot Leonel Suárez (8243), while Austria’s Dominik Distelberger finished third with 7713 points.

Larbi Bourrada won the men's decathlon at the 2011 Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting with 8302 points, setting an African record and defeating Germany's Rico Freimuth by just 15 points. Freimuth finished second with 8287 points, while Pascal …

The 2012 Ratingen decathlon was won by Germany's Jan Felix Knobel with 8228 points, ahead of Cuba's Yordani Garcia (8005) and Junior Diaz (7735).

The 2013 Ratingen decathlon was won by Germany's Pascal Behrenbruch with 8514 points, narrowly defeating compatriot Rico Freimuth (8488), while Jan Felix Knobel completed an all-German podium with 8396 points.

Rico Freimuth won the men's decathlon at the 2014 Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting with 8356 points, edging France's Kevin Mayer by just 33 points in a closely contested competition. Arthur Abele completed the podium with 8139 points, while …

Germany's Michael Schrader claimed victory at the 2015 Ratingen decathlon with 8419 points, narrowly defeating South Africa's Willem Coertzen (8341), while fellow German Pascal Behrenbruch placed third with 7826 points.

Arthur Abele won the Ratingen 2016 men's decathlon with 8605 points, setting a world ‐leading mark at the 20th edition of the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf ‐Meeting. Fellow German Kai Kazmirek finished second with 8323 points, while …

Rico Freimuth won the Ratingen 2017 men's decathlon with a personal best of 8663 points, ahead of Grenada's Kurt Felix (8509) and Germany's Kai Kazmirek (8478). It was the first time in the meeting's history that two athletes exceeded 8500 points …

Arthur Abele won the Ratingen 2018 men's decathlon with 8481 points, securing his third victory at the prestigious German combined events meeting. Manuel Eitel finished second with 8121 points, just one point ahead of Sweden's Marcus Nilsson (8120).

Kai Kazmirek of Germany won the 2019 Ratingen decathlon with 8444 points, finishing comfortably ahead of France's Basile Rolnin (8205) and South Africa's Fredriech Pretorius (7872).

The Ratingen 2021 decathlon was won by Germany’s Kai Kazmirek, who scored 8184 points to secure victory ahead of compatriot Mathias Brugger (8080 points). Andreas Bechmann completed an all ‐German podium with 7955 points, while Jannis …

Germany’s Niklas Kaul wins the decathlon at the 2023 Ratingen meeting with 8484 points, ahead of Spain’s Jorge Ureña with 8381 and the Netherlands’ Rik Taam with 8326.

Germany's Leo Neugebauer won the 2026 Ratingen decathlon with 8573 points ahead of France's Makenson Gletty (8458), while the USA's Devon Williams produced a career ‐best 8402 points for third and Estonia's Rasmus Roosleht also achieved a …

A complete history of the Ratingen Mehrkampf celebrates all-time decathlon records and champions, showcasing the event’s finest performances and winners throughout the years.

Rico Freimuth followed his father Uwe into international decathlon, winning world bronze in Beijing in 2015 and silver in London in 2017. His personal best of 8663 points came in Ratingen in 2017, a season in which he also secured his second …

Siegfried Stark won European decathlon bronze in Prague 1978 and Athens 1982, as well as the European Cup Final in Dresden 1979. The East German athlete finished sixth at the Montreal 1976 Olympics and achieved his career best of 8534 points in …

Siegfried Wentz achieved a personal best of 8762 points in Bernhausen (5 June 1983), which at the time made him third on the world all-time list

Stefan Drews set his decathlon personal best of 8233 points in Ratingen 2006 and finished seventh at the European Championships in Göteborg that summer. The German decathlete also competed at the Athens 2004 Olympics and won the national indoor …

Stefan Schmid set his decathlon personal best of 8485 points in Ratingen in 2000 and finished ninth at the Sydney Olympics later that year. His career also included seventh ‐place finishes at the 1997 and 2001 World Championships, but his …

Kurt Bendlin, a gifted German decathlete, overcame multiple injuries and personal tragedy to set a world record in 1967, and despite repeated setbacks, made several comebacks throughout his career.

Till Steinforth won heptathlon bronze at both the European and World Indoor Championships in 2025, setting a German record of 6388 points in Apeldoorn before scoring 6275 in Nanjing. Outdoors, he won the Ratingen 2024 decathlon with a personal …

Tim Nowak earned European U20 decathlon bronze in Rieti 2013 and world U20 bronze in Eugene 2014 before progressing to the senior championships, finishing tenth in Doha 2019. He set his decathlon personal best of 8282 points in Götzis 2024 and …

Torsten Voss has won gold medal at the World Championships in Roma 1987. In 1981, he claimed silver at the European U20 Championships, and in 1982 set a junior world record in decathlon with 8397 points.

Thomas Fahner won the men’s decathlon at the 1985 European Athletics Junior Championships in Cottbus with 7815 points, finishing ahead of Igor Drobyshevskiy (7633) and Andre Preysing (7476).

The men’s decathlon at the 1973 European Athletics U20 Championships in Duisburg brought together Europe’s leading junior combined events athletes. Vladimir Buryakov of the Soviet Union won the European U20 title with 7551 points, ahead of …