Posted: April 16, 2005

Athletics: Skujyte Breaks Decathlon World Record

By Bob Ramsak, Track Profile

(c) 2004 Track Profile all rights reserved TrackProfile.com

Austra Skujyte, the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in the heptathlon, set a world record in the decathlon today, tallying 8,366 points at the Audrey Walton Combined Events competition in Columbia, Missouri. The previous record, 8,150 points by Marie Collonvillé of France, was set last September in Talence, France.

After a solid 16.42m (53-10˝) in the shot put and 1.78m (5-10) leap in the high jump, the 25-year-old Lithuanian needed to run 5:53.82 or better in the 1500 meters. She did significantly better, clocking 5:15.86.

The IAAF ratified the mark by Collonvillé as valid from 01-January-2005, paving the way for official women's records in the event.

The sports information office at the University of Missouri, host of the meet, confirmed that a doping control would be carried in the event of a world record.

The Columbia event was the first women's decathlon held in the United States using the approved women's sequence of events.

The performance sequence for Skujyte:

Day 1: (14-Apr): 100m - 12.45 (+1.6); discus - 46.19m (15-6); pole vault - 3.10m (10-2); javelin - 48.78m (160-0); 400m - 57.19 (3898 points)
Day 2: (15-Apr) 100m hurdles - 14.22; long jump - 6.12m (20-1); shot put - 16.42m (53-10˝); high jump - 1.78m (5-10); 1500m - 5:15.86 (4468 points)

[Note to statisticians: wind readings for the second day's events weren't immediately available.]

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