Robert Zmelík wasn’t unbeatable in every meet, but in Barcelona 1992, nobody else combined consistency, peak fitness, and mental resilience as well as he did. That’s why, on that stage, he was the best.
The men's decathlon at the 1990 European Championships in Split brought together Europe's leading all ‐around athletes in a highly competitive battle for medals. France’s Christian Plaziat won the European title with 8574 points, ahead of
Spanish men’s decathlon all-time list up to 7600 points. Francisco Javier Benet leads the Spanish men’s decathlon all-time list with a national record of 8526 points, achieved in Alhama de Murcia in May 1998.
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