Leo Neugebauer heads the entries for what will be his first decathlon since winning the world title with 8804 last year at the Hypo Meeting in G\u00f6tzis this weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Five global title winners will clash in the men\u2019s decathlon in one of the strongest fields of the year at the meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Olympic silver medallist, world No.1 and German record-holder with 8961, already has several competitions behind him in 2026, including a 53.00m discus throw, 16.92m shot put and 14.57 clocking in the 110m hurdles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Neugebauer made his G\u00f6tzis debut last year, finishing fifth with 8555. He returns looking to improve on that and secure a first podium finish at the famed Austrian meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
World indoor champion Simon Ehammer heads to G\u00f6tzis off the back of an incredible start to the 2026, having won the world indoor title with a world heptathlon record of 6670. He opened his outdoor combined events season with victory at the Multistars meeting in Brescia last month with 8361. This weekend he\u2019ll be keen to improve on the Swiss decathlon record of 8575 he set when finishing third in G\u00f6tzis last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Canada\u2019s Damian Warner needs little introduction in G\u00f6tzis. The 2021 Olympic champion has won the meeting eight times and is one of the few men in history to have surpassed 9000 points. Now 36, Warner scored 8527 in G\u00f6tzis last year \u2013 higher than two of his previous winning scores at the meeting, but only enough for sixth in a remarkable competition. He has already shown sharp early-season form this year, running 13.76 for the 110m hurdles and 10.44 for 100m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His compatriot Pierce LePage, the 2023 world champion, continues his return to form. He won the Canadian indoor heptathlon title earlier this year with 5683, but G\u00f6tzis will be his first outdoor competition of 2026. LePage did not finish in G\u00f6tzis last year or at the World Championships, meaning the last decathlon he completed remains his 8909-point triumph at the 2023 World Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Germany\u2019s Niklas Kaul, the 2019 world champion, also returns to G\u00f6tzis after one of the best performances of his career there last year. His 8575 tally for equal third last year was his best score outside of a major championships, bettered only by the 8691 PB he set to win the 2019 world title. He went on to finish fourth at last year\u2019s World Championships with 8538.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A trio of US athletes \u2013 all winners of national titles in recent years \u2013 will also be looking to build on their first G\u00f6tzis appearances from last year, which brought mixed fortunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Heath Baldwin, the world indoor silver medallist, finished sixth at last year\u2019s World Championships and was US champion in 2024. The 8625 performer placed eighth in G\u00f6tzis last year with 8430.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Harrison Williams, the 2023 US champion, has a PB of 8630 and has finished seventh at each of the past three global outdoor championships. He did not finish in G\u00f6tzis last year on his Hypo Meeting debut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hakim McMorris, the 2026 US indoor champion, arrives in G\u00f6tzis after setting a PB of 8420 to win at the Mt SAC Relays. Like Williams, he did not finish on his G\u00f6tzis debut last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The field also includes Estonia\u2019s Karel Tilga, who set his PB of 8681 to finish fourth at the 2023 World Championships; France\u2019s Makenson Gletty, who set a PB of 8606 to take European bronze in 2024; and Sven Roosen, who set a Dutch record of 8607 when finishing fourth at the 2024 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A new heptathlon champion will be crowned in G\u00f6tzis with a field led by three women who, between them, have won the past four world indoor titles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dutch all-rounder Sofie Dokter, the world indoor champion, returns to the meeting where she set her PB of 6576 when finishing second last year. She went on to finish sixth at the World Championships in Tokyo, matching her position from the 2024 Olympic Games. She has already contested several low-key competitions this year, including a shot put PB of 14.23m.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finland\u2019s Saga Vanninen, the 2025 world indoor champion, is set for her first outdoor combined events competition since finishing seventh at last year\u2019s World Championships with 6396. The two-time world U20 champion set her PB of 6563 at the 2025 European U23 Championships and was fourth in G\u00f6tzis in 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Belgium\u2019s Noor Vidts owns the highest PB in the field, having scored 6707 to take Olympic bronze in 2024. The two-time world indoor champion missed most of last year through injury, so G\u00f6tzis will be her first heptathlon since the 2024 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Emma Oosterwegel of the Netherlands also set her PB to win Olympic bronze, scoring 6590 in Tokyo in 2021. She finished ninth at last year\u2019s World Championships with 6381 and has competed in G\u00f6tzis several times, her best result being fourth in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
USA\u2019s Taliyah Brooks set a PB of 6581 to finish equal third at the World Championships last year, having also claimed world indoor bronze earlier in the season. A strong hurdler and long jumper, Brooks has already competed extensively over the past two months, clocking 12.91 for the 100m hurdles and leaping a wind-assisted 6.87m in the long jump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Switzerland\u2019s Annik K\u00e4lin finished fourth at the 2024 Olympic Games with a national record of 6639 and won world indoor long jump silver last year. The last heptathlon she completed was in G\u00f6tzis last year, where she placed fifth with 6395, but was a non-starter at the World Championships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Others to watch include German duo Sophie Weissenberg and Sandrina Sprengel, both of whom have PBs above 6400; Commonwealth bronze medallist Jade O\u2019Dowda of Great Britain, who finished eighth at last year\u2019s World Championships; and Austria\u2019s 2018 world indoor silver medallist Ivona Dadic Glavas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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