Home|Sports|Thompson, Mullings both go over national record in men’s decathlonSports

Sheldon LongleySend an emailApril 17, 2023 462 2 minute readFacebookTwitterLinkedInShare via Email

Kendrick Thompson and Ken Mullings continue to push other in the multi events, getting closer and closer to world level qualification in the men’s decathlon.

Just before the weekend, the duo pushed each other again, and in so doing, both surpassed the national record of 7,866 points that Mullings set at the 18th World Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon, USA, last summer. 

Thompson became the first Bahamian to go over 8,000 points in the men’s decathlon, finishing with 8,015 points at the 63rd Annual Mt. SAC Relays at Hilmer Lodge Stadium in Walnut, California, last week. Mullings was right on Thompson’s heels finishing just shy of the 8,000-point plateau with 7,933 total points.

The two friends battled each other, and a tough fiend, finishing fourth and fifth in the two-day men’s decathlon that wrapped up with the men’s 1,500 meters (m) on Thursday. They are also now fifth and sixth on the world’s top performance list for 2023, and not far from the qualifying standard of 8,460 points for the world championships this summer.

The 19th World Outdoor Championships is set for August 19-27, in Budapest, Hungary.

As for the men’s decathlon on Wednesday and Thursday, American Harrison Williams, representing the Chula Vista Elite Athlete Training Center, won with 8,492 points and is now the world leader. Fellow Americans Heath Baldwin, of Michigan State University (MSU), and Austin West, of the University of Iowa, were second and third with totals of 8,084 and 8,038 points, respectively.

Thompson and Mullings have taken turns in breaking the national record in the men’s decathlon over the past four years – three times by Mullings and four times by Thompson – with the new mark standing in excess of 8,000 points. They have both gotten faster and stronger. 

In soaring over the 8,000 barrier, Thompson set personal best times and marks in the 100m (10.52 seconds), 110m hurdles (14.46 seconds), pole vault (4.50m – 14’ 9-1/4”), shot put (14.84m – 48’ 8-1/4”) and javelin (64.93m – 213’).

Mullings recorded best times and marks in the 100m (10.59 seconds), 110m hurdles (13.95 seconds), long jump (7.29m – 23’ 11”), shot put (15.09m – 49’ 6”) and javelin (58.50m – 191’ 11”).

Mullings first took down Antonio Greene’s 30-year national mark in the men’s decathlon, scoring 7,427 points at the University of Miami (UM) Hurricane Alumni Invitational in Coral Gables, Florida, in April of 2019. Since then, the national record has been broken six times – twice by Mullings and four times by Thompson, with the new record now standing at 8,015 points.

The qualifying standard for the world championships stand at 8,460 points, but there is also wildcard entries for a reigning world champion, a Diamond League champion and as the current area champion from the athlete’s respective area championships. Athletes can also qualify via their World Athletics (WA) rankings.

Mullings is the current North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC) Combined Events Champion, thereby being eligible to receive an automatic bye for the Budapest World Championships.