Comparing decathletes of different eras

why compare? training is different, nutrition is different, back in the day, athletes only trained part time part of the year! only compare decathletes to the standard of their day. and how would you judge? scoring tables are arbritrary! a percentage of the world record at that time is the only logical answere. see past discussion of this topic on this site. as far as im concerned, thorpe was the best ever. as per modern times, see a post here that jenner had the best percentage vs world record. an argument could be made for any number of people. choose your own criteria. scott

Maybe relative to Dec WR and most recent OG Dec winner. Relative to the contemporary competition is a factor, as conditions and facilities are part of the game. Relative to individual event WRs, of the same time period, is another way I've seen it done.

The only way to compare is by raw converted points. There's way too many variables and uncertainties if you want to say give today's training, nutrition, and equipment. You could also look at today's pressure, today's peer influence, or even air quality.