Robert Jacob Arnold made history by becoming the first athlete in over 20 years to win back ‐to ‐back NCAA decathlon titles in 2006 and 2007, competing for the University of Arizona. He earned bronze medals in the decathlon at the 2006
Between 1980 and 1981, Bulgarian female athletes like Daniela Nenova, Emilia Kunova, and Valentina Dimitrova made rapid progress in pentathlon and heptathlon, setting national records and achieving personal bests in multiple competitions,