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Combined events have long represented the ultimate test of versatility in athletics, rewarding athletes who excel across multiple disciplines rather than a single event. Throughout the history of the sport, numerous combined-event formats have been contested, many of which were later modified, replaced or discontinued as international rules evolved. This section documents the complete progression of world records in these discontinued and non-standard combined events, preserving an important chapter in the development of modern athletics.

Discontinued Combined Events World Records progression
Men’s events

Pentathlon

The men’s pentathlon was one of the earliest official combined events in athletics, bringing together five disciplines to identify the most versatile all-around athlete. Before the decathlon became the universal standard, several pentathlon formats were contested, each reflecting the evolution of combined events and changes in scoring tables. This page documents the complete progression of the men’s pentathlon world bests and world records across its different historical versions.

Historical Highlights

• The men’s pentathlon was introduced in the early twentieth century, with the first recognized performances achieved by pioneers such as Jim Thorpe, Ferdinand Bie, and Juho Halme. During its early decades, performances were recalculated under successive scoring tables, making direct comparisons between eras difficult.
• Unlike most combined events, the men’s outdoor pentathlon never had an officially ratified World Athletics world record. Although the event was contested internationally for several decades, performances were recorded as world bests under different scoring tables rather than official world records.
• The event underwent several revisions in both competition format and scoring systems, making direct comparisons across eras difficult. As a result, many historical performances were recalculated under successive tables (1920, 1934, 1952, 1964 and 1984), producing different point totals for the same competition.
• Among the most significant milestones were Jim Thorpe’s pioneering performances in 1912, followed by improvements from athletes such as Juho Halme, Paavo Yrjölä, Martti Tolamo, Vasily Kuznetsov, William Toomey, and Rein Aun, each representing important stages in the evolution of the event. The highest recorded performance in this historical progression was 4,282 points by William Toomey (USA) in London in 1969 (1984 scoring tables).
• Despite never receiving official world record status, the men’s pentathlon played a crucial role in the early development of combined events and served as one of the principal predecessors of the modern decathlon.

Discontinued Combined Events World Records Progression
Women’s events

Pentathlon

The women’s pentathlon was the premier combined event in international athletics for more than five decades before being replaced by the heptathlon in 1981. Throughout its history, the event underwent several changes in both its disciplines and scoring tables, reflecting the continuous evolution of women’s athletics and the growing standardization of combined events.

Before the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) established uniform regulations, multiple pentathlon formats were contested across Europe using different event combinations and scoring systems. From the 1930s onwards the event gradually became standardized and was included in major international championships, including the European Championships and the Olympic Games. This page presents the complete progression of the women’s pentathlon world record, from its early experimental formats to the final officially recognized records before the introduction of the heptathlon.

Historical Highlights

• The earliest women’s pentathlons featured several different combinations of events, including variations with the 100 metres, 60 metres, 400 metres, javelin throw and standing long jump. During the 1920s and early 1930s, German athletes such as Anneliese Jacke, Selma Grieme, Ellen Braumüller and Gisela Mauermayer dominated the event while both the competition format and the scoring tables were still evolving.
• Following World War II, the Soviet Union became the leading force in the pentathlon. Aleksandra Chudina established several world records under different event formats before the event adopted the more familiar combination of hurdles, shot put, high jump, long jump and sprint. During the 1950s and early 1960s the record continued to improve through outstanding Soviet all-rounders including Nina Vinogradova, Galina Bystrova and, above all, Irina Press, whose remarkable series of world records pushed the event beyond 5,200 points.
• The introduction of the 1971 scoring tables marked another important milestone in the history of the event. Although performances became more difficult to compare with earlier records, athletes such as Heidemarie Rosendahl, Liese Prokop, Burglinde Pollak, Eva Wilms, Nadezhda Tkachenko and Olga Kuragina continued raising the world standard during the 1970s, reflecting the rapid development of women’s combined events.
• The final major transformation came in 1981, when the women’s pentathlon was officially replaced by the heptathlon, adding the javelin throw and the 800 metres while extending the competition over two days. The last official pentathlon world record, 5,083 points by Nadezhda Tkachenko at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, therefore closed more than half a century of pentathlon history and marked the beginning of the modern era of women’s combined events.

Official World Record Progression

Mark	Athlete	Country	Date	City	Competition	Notes
5083	Nadezhda Tkachenko	URS	24/7/1980	Moskva	Olympic Games	13,29 – 16,84 – 1,84 – 6,73 – 2:05,2
4856	Olga Kuragina	URS	20/6/1980	Moskva	Soviet Championships	13,38 – 13,44 – 1,86 – 6,41 – 2:03,73
4839	Nadezhda Tkachenko	URS	18/9/1977	Lille	European Cup final	13,49 – 15,93 – 1,80 – 6,49 – 2:10,62
4823	Eva Wilms	FRG	18/6/1977	Bernhausen	International Match FRG-URS	13,83 – 20,95 – 1,74 – 6,29 – 2:19,66
4765	Eva Smith	FRG	14/5/1977	Gottingen	National Meeting	13,70 – 20,62 – 1,74 – 6,03 – 2:19,91 [100mh, SP, HJ, LJ, 800m in one day]
4932	Burling Pollak	GDR	22/9/1973	Bonn	European Cup final	13,21 – 15,85 – 1,78 – 6,47 – 23,35
4831	Burling Pollak	GDR	12/8/1973	Sofiya	European Cup semi-final	13,21 – 15,40 – 1,74 – 6,45 – 23,70 [since 1973 competed on one day]
4801	Mary Peters	GBR	2-3/9/1972	München	Olympic Games	13,29166 – 16,20 – 1,82 / 5,59 – 24,08 [scores of the 1971 Tables]
5406 (4775)	Burling Pollak	GDR	5-6/9/1970	Erfurt	GDR Championships	13,3 – 15,57 – 1,75 / 6,20 – 23,8
5352 (4727)	Liese Prokop	AUT	4-5/10/1969	Wien-Sudstadt		13,5 – 14,95 – 1,75 / 6,62 – 24,6 [Day 1: 100mh, SP, HJ – Day 2: LJ, 200m]
5246	Irina Press	URS	16-17/10/1984	Tokyo	Olympic Games	10,7 – 17,16 – 1,63 / 6,24 – 24,7
5137	Irina Press	URS	8-9/10/1961	Tbilisi		10,9 – 15,26 – 1,62 / 6,24 – 24,2 [Day 1: 80mh, SP, HJ – Day 2: LJ, 200m]
4972	Irina Press	URS	17-18/10/1960	Kiev	Soviet Team Championships	15,34 – 1,63 – 24,7 / 10,8 – 5,58
4959	Irina Press	URS	25-26/6/1960	Tula	International Match RSFSR – West Poland	15,18 – 1,50 – 24,5 / 10,9 – 6,17
4902	Irina Press	URS	21-22/5/1960	Tula		15,00 – 1,57 – 24,3 / 11,2 – 5,76
4880	Irina Press	URS	13-14/9/1959	Krasnodar		14,20 – 1,58 – 24,8 / 10,9 – 5,82
4872	Galina Bystrova	URS	1-2/11/1958	Tbilisi		13,81 – 1,60 – 25,5 / 10,8 – 6,00
4846	Galina Bystrova	URS	15-16/10/1957	Odessa		12,73 – 1,58 – 25,2 / 10,8 – 6,17
4767	Nina Vinogradova	URS	11-12/8/1956	Moskva	Soviet Championships	13,23 – 1,57 – 25,4 / 10,9 – 5,88
4750	Aleksandra Chudina	URS	6-7/9/1955	Moskva		13,94 – 1,64 – 26,3 / 11,5 – 6,04
4747	Nina Martynenko – Vinogradova	URS	6-7/7/1955	Leningrad		13,54 – 1,62 – 25,8 / 11,3 – 5,92 Since 24.08.1954 1,000-points-table (developed by the Swedes Jörbeck and Ulbrich)
4704	Aleksandra Chudina	URS	8-9/8/1953	Bucuresti	International Romanian Championships	13,42 – 1,63 – 25,5 / 11,6 – 5,81
4692	Fanny Blankers -Koen	HOL	15-16/9/1951	Amsterdam		11,50 – 1,60 – 24,4 / 11,4 – 5,88 [Day 1: SP, HJ, 200m – Day 2: 80mh, LJ] Since 20/6/1951 French points-table of the 1930s
418 (4391)	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	16-17/7/1938	Stuttgart		13,07 – 5,62 / 12,4 – 1,56 – 36,90
377 (4155)	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	9 and 11/8/1934	London	Women’s World Games	13,44 – 5,51 / 13,0 – 1,52 – 32,905 (1st WR of the IAAF Era)
357 (3991/416)	Gisela Mauermayer	GER	19-20/8/1933	Neu-Welmar	German Championships	12,90 – 5,32 / 13,2 – 1,465 – 36,96 [Day 1: SP, LJ – Day 2: 100m HJ, JT] German 100-points-table of 1933

Decathlon

The women’s decathlon is the female equivalent of the men’s ten-event combined competition. Although recognized by World Athletics in the early 2000s, it has remained a rarely contested discipline, with only a limited number of official world records ratified. This page presents the complete progression of the women’s decathlon world record, from the first notable performances to the current officially recognized records.

Historical Highlights

• TThe women’s decathlon was officially accepted into the World Athletics competition programme in 2001, with the modern event order rearranged to facilitate scheduling alongside the men’s competition. The first official world record was ratified in 2004, when Marie Collonvillé (France) became the inaugural record holder with 8,150 points.
• Less than a year later, Austra Skujytė (Lithuania) raised the world record to 8,358 points, a mark achieved in 2005 that still stands today. Despite the event’s official recognition, the women’s decathlon remains a specialist discipline and is contested far less frequently than the heptathlon, which continues to be the standard combined event for women in major international championships.

Official World Record Progression

Mark	Athlete	Country	Date	City	Competition	Notes
8358	Austra Skulyte	LTU	14-15/4/2005	Columpia, Mo	2nd Annual Audrey Walton Combined	12,49 – 46,19 – 3,10 – 48,78 – 57,19 / 14,22 – 6,12 – 16,42 – 1,78 – 5:15,86
8150	Marie Collonvillé	FRA	25-26/6/2004	Talence	Decastar	12,48 – 34,69 – 3,50 – 47,19 – 56,15 / 13,96 – 6,18 – 11,90 – 1,80 – 5:06,09