Pan American Games’ full history features all-time decathlon records and winners, showcasing the standout athletes and performances across the event’s history.
Rafer Johnson, a multi-sport high school star who rose from poverty and discrimination, became one of the greatest decathletes in history, ultimately winning Olympic gold in 1960 after a dramatic final event against C.K. Yang.
Diverted off the troubled path of his childhood, Bryan Clay went on to become one of the most decorated decathletes of all time. He won an Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Olympic Games (2008) and became decathlon World Champion in Helsinki 2005.
Kip Janvrin is the ultimate decathlete. What a remarkably enduring, high ‐quality career! Janvrin won the 1989 U. S. Olympic Festival, the 1995 Pan Am Games, the 2001 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and a record 15 decathlons at
Kyle Garland recently set a new personal best of 8869 points in the decathlon at the 2025 USATF. At the 2022 USA Combined Events Championships in Fayetteville, Kyle Garland tallied 8720 points, breaking the NCAA decathlon record.