Alhama de Murcia decathlon of 1998 is remembered for its high-caliber performances and the setting of national records: Sebastian Chmara's Polish record and Francisco Javier Benet's Spanish record.
The discipline and training applied by decathletes have always been regarded by me as the ultimate in athletic dedication. Whilst it is of course always a huge honour for any decathlete to achieve the ultimate status of World Champion, I cannot help but regard all those who dedicate themselves to this most gruelling of athletic disciplines as Champions - unknown person