Gold Level CE Meeting

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2024/25

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X-ATHLETICS

Tallinn 2024

Mt. SAC Relays

37th Multistars

Aligenis Milos Combined Events Meeting

XIII Meeting Arona Pruebas Combinadas

Hypomeeting

Nordic Combined Events Championships

U.S. Olympic Team Trials

Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting

EAP International Combined Events Meeting

Sollentuna Combined Events

3rd Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial

Décastar

World Athletics Combined Events Tour

Carolin Schafer in the heptathlon 100m hurdles in Ratingen

Chari Hawkins in the heptathlon 200m in Arona

Damian Warner in the decathlon discus in Gotzis

Two-time world indoor champion Noor Vidts will be the marquee athlete at the International Meeting of Arona &ndash; the second Gold leg of the World Athletics Combined Events Tour &ndash; on the Canary Islands this weekend (11-12).
Vidts, who retained her world indoor title earlier this year in Glasgow, will start as the overwhelming favourite in the heptathlon. The 27-year-old Belgian has finished in the top six at the past three global championships, starting with the Olympic Games in 2021 where she finished fourth with a PB of 6571.
She came close to that at the 2022 World Championships in Oregon, placing fifth with 6559, and she followed that with a sixth-place finish at last year&rsquo;s World Championships in Budapest with 6450.
Vidts has competed in Arona on seven previous occasions. She won the U20 contest in 2014 and 2015 but is yet to win the main senior event.
Marijke Esselink of the Netherlands should be Vidts&rsquo; toughest challenger. The 24-year-old will be making her third appearance in Arona, having finished third in 2021 with a PB of 6087, which she improved to 6222 last year in G&ouml;tzis.
Ireland&rsquo;s Kate O&rsquo;Connor will also be in the mix for a podium place. The 2019 European U20 silver medallist, who holds the national record at 6297, finished second at the opening World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting in Brescia two weeks ago with 6104.
Watch out too for USA&rsquo;s Ashtin Zamzow-Mahler, who will be contesting her first heptathlon in almost two years. The 27-year-old finished 11th at the 2022 World Championships and has a 6291 PB from 2021. She&rsquo;ll be joined by compatriot Shaina Burns, a 6130-point heptathlete aiming to improve on her 14th-place finish in Brescia.
Ondrej Kopecky appears to be the pre-event favourite in the decathlon. The 25-year-old from the Czech Republic has a PB of 8310 from 2022, and more recently he finished ninth at the World Indoor Championships, having set an indoor PB of 6035 in the heptathlon in February.
A solid all-rounder, Kopecky excels in the vertical jumps and has PBs of 2.01m for the high jump and 5.20m in the pole vault.
Marcus Nilsson, winner in Arona in 2022 with a score of 8115, returns to the Canary Islands. The 32-year-old Swede enjoyed a fantastic campaign that year, placing fourth at the European Championships with a huge PB of 8327.
Because of injuries, Nilsson hasn&rsquo;t completed a decathlon since September 2022, but an indoor heptathlon score of 5706 earlier this year shows the 2010 world U20 bronze medallist is returning to good form.
Germany&rsquo;s 2017 world bronze medallist Kai Kazmirek, one of the most consistent decathletes over the past decade, will also be in Arona. The 33-year-old only completed one decathlon last year, scoring 8038, and will be contesting his first combined events competition of the year this weekend.
He will be joined by his fellow German Malik Diakite, who surpassed the 8000-point barrier last year with a PB of 8051.
Local hopes rest on defending champion Andreu Boix. The 21-year-old Spaniard produced a lifetime best of 7961 in Arona last year when he set PBs in six of the 10 disciplines.
Mild temperatures &ndash; with a high of 25C&nbsp;&ndash; are expected throughout a sunny weekend in Arona.
Emeterio Valiente for World Athletics

Two-time world indoor champion Noor Vidts will be the marquee athlete at the International Meeting of Arona

Vidts kicks off outdoor season in Arona

USA&rsquo;s Taliyah Brooks retained her Multistars heptathlon title by equalling her PB of 6330, while Belgium&rsquo;s Jente Hauttekeete secured his first decathlon victory at a World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting, winning with 8020 in Brescia on Sunday (28).
Brooks began the defence of her heptathlon title with the day&rsquo;s fastest 100m hurdles, clocking 13.14 into a headwind (-2.3m/s). But there was disappointment for China&rsquo;s Asian Games champion Zheng Ninali, as she was disqualified.
The high jump was up next and Brooks cleared 1.77m &ndash; the second-best performance of the day behind Bianca Salming&rsquo;s 1.83m &ndash; before throwing 13.11m in the shot. Austria&rsquo;s 2018 world indoor pentathlon silver medallist Ivona Dadic, returning from injury, launched the implement 14.55m to top that event.
Brooks ended day one with a leading 200m time of 23.92, putting her 220 points ahead of Norway&rsquo;s Ida Eikeng.
The second day started well for Brooks as she extended her lead by topping the long jump with 6.52m. It was also a strong discipline for Sweden&rsquo;s Lovisa Karlsson (6.47m) and Switzerland&rsquo;s Katelyn Adel (6.41m), both of whom set PBs to move into second and third overall respectively.
Eikeng excelled in the javelin, launching her spear out to 51.62m to move up to third overall. Ireland&rsquo;s Kate O&rsquo;Connor, twice a runner-up at Multistars, moved into second place overall thanks to her 49.28m effort.
Brooks was further down the field with 38.53m, but she still ended the event with a lead of almost 200 points with just the 800m to go.
Adel, who had put together the series of her life this weekend, continued her momentum into the 800m, smashing her PB to win it in 2:12.66. Salming followed in 2:13.49 and Brooks &ndash; buoyed by the knowledge she had the title in the bag &ndash; was close behind in 2:13.81, a PB.
It meant that the US heptathlete successfully defended her title by equalling the 6330 PB she set when winning at Multistars last year.
O&rsquo;Connor, who clocked 2:15.14 in the final event, achieved her third Multistars runner-up finish with 6104 and Adel placed third with 6082 &ndash; a PB by more than 300 points. Karlsson just missed the podium, but was also rewarded with her first 6000-point tally, scoring 6051.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m excited to come here, get a decent score and walk away healthy,&rdquo; said Brooks. &ldquo;I got the exact same score as last time. Last year I was really happy with my 800m, and this year is the same &ndash; I set a PB by two seconds. It&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve been working really hard on.&rdquo;
<h2>Hauttekeete times challenge to perfection</h2>
Jente Hauttekeete may not have topped the leader board in any of the individual disciplines, but the 22-year-old&rsquo;s overall consistency in the decathlon led to him taking the title with 8020, the second-best score of his career.
Switzerland&rsquo;s Nino Portmann took an early lead, winning the first 100m heat in 10.91. Belgium&rsquo;s Robin Bodart won his heat in 10.93 for the day&rsquo;s second-fastest time and Teo Bastien led heat three in 11.04 to put him fifth overall after one event, just ahead of Hattekeete (11.06).
Bastien, the 2021 European U20 bronze medallist, soared into the lead after the next event, going close to his long jump PB with a leap of 7.82m. Hauttekeete, the world U20 heptathlon record-holder, was sixth at that stage after leaping 7.37m.
A 14.12m throw moved Hauttekeete up to fourth following the shot put, with Bastien holding on to the lead thanks to an outdoor PB of 13.84m. Czechia&rsquo;s 2016 European silver medallist Adam Helcelet made his presence felt at this stage, launching the shot 15.31m to place him fifth overall, with Yuma Maruyama and Jose Fernando Ferreira Santana completing the top five.
Hauttekeete and Santiago Ford both soared clear at 2.01m in the high jump, which moved them to second and third respectively behind Bastien (1.95m). His lead was 45 points at that stage but Hauttekeete ran 49.16 to Bastien&rsquo;s 50.10 in the 400m &ndash; the final event of the day &ndash; to take the gap to just a single point at the half way stage.
Ferreira Santana dominated the 110m hurdles at the start of day two and was the only man to finish inside 14 seconds, clocking 13.88. Hauttekeete took a brief lead thanks to his 14.44 clocking, while Bastien managed 14.51, but the French all-rounder responded in the next event, throwing a discus PB of 43.49m to regain the lead.
Hauttekeete threw 40.13m, and Chile&rsquo;s Santiago Ford moved up the leaderboard into third after sending his disc flying out to 47.84m, the best of the day. Murayama, meanwhile, set his third PB of the competition with 46.21m.
Belgium&rsquo;s Thomas van der Plaetsen, the 2016 European champion, was a non-starter for the next discipline. But his compatriot Bodart ensured a Belgian still topped that event, vaulting 5.15m. Bastien was next best, extending his lead thanks to a 5.05m clearance, while Hauttekeete remained in contention with 4.85m.
The discipline ended with disappointment for Murayama, though, as he landed awkwardly on his final attempt at 4.65m and was forced to exit the competition.
Hauttekeete threw a PB of 56.04m in the javelin, but he was bumped down to third place after Ferreira Santana launched his spear out to 67.47m. Bastien increased the gap between him and Hauttekeete, throwing 56.98m.
Bastien had a 138-point lead over Hauttekeete going into the 1500m. Although the Belgian was a far superior 1500m runner, he still needed to finish 25 seconds ahead of Bastien to secure the victory.
Switzerland&rsquo;s Andrin Huber was a comfortable winner of the 1500m, clocking 4:23.99, then Estonia&rsquo;s Risto Lillemets crossed the line a few seconds later, closely followed by Hauttekeete (4:30.80). Bastien, meanwhile, finished outside five minutes (5:02.75).
It meant that Hauttekeete took the victory with 8020 from Lillemets (7971). Bastien held on for third place with 7963, just 26 points ahead of Ferreira Santana.
&ldquo;I just kept going and fought until the end and now I&rsquo;m here in first position,&rdquo; said Hauttekeete. &ldquo;I knew I needed to finish 25 seconds ahead of Bastien and I knew that would be tough. But it&rsquo;s never over until the end.&rdquo;
<a href="https://multistars.it/Multistars_2024/index_2024.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Results</a>

Brooks takes heptathlon with 6330, Hauttekeete wins decathlon with 8020

Brooks and Hauttekeete victorious at Multistars

Taliyah Brooks defends her heptathlon title, while Thomas Van der Plaetsen heads the decathlon field at Multistars &ndash; the first World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event of 2024 &ndash; this weekend (27-28).
Nine decathletes with 8000-point-plus PBs and nine heptathletes who have surpassed 6200 points are entered for the event, which returns to Brescia &ndash; host of the first seven editions from 1988 to 1994 &ndash; for the first time in 30 years.
USA&rsquo;s Brooks set a PB of 6330 points to win the heptathlon in Desenzano del Garda last year and she went on to finish second at the USA Championships with a score just 11 points off that mark, but her campaign at the World Championships in Budapest came to an early end when she recorded three fouls in the long jump. She rebounded at the Decastar in Talence in September, finishing third on 6181, and has already shown PB form in 2024 as she clocked 7.97 for 60m hurdles in February.
One athlete sits above Brooks on the entry list when it comes to personal bests: Austria&rsquo;s Ivona Dadic. The 2018 world indoor pentathlon silver medallist, who set her best of 6552 in 2018, makes a heptathlon comeback in Brescia as she missed the whole of 2023 following knee surgery.&nbsp;
Dadic returned to action at the Swedish Indoor Combined Events Championships in January &ndash; her first competition since winning the Decastar with 6233 points in September 2022 &ndash; and finished second at the Austrian Indoor Combined Events Championships in February. Her aim in Brescia &ndash; as it is for a number of athletes in action &ndash; will be to qualify for the Olympic Games and European Championships.
China&rsquo;s Asian Games champion Zheng Ninali, who won the pentathlon at the Asian Indoor Championships in February, is also among the entries, just over a week on from her 6164-point performance at the Mt. SAC Relays.
Britain&rsquo;s Commonwealth bronze medallist Jade O&rsquo;Dowda was second at Multistars last year and went on to set a PB of 6255 points at the Gotzis Hypomeeting a month later.
Ireland&rsquo;s Kate O'Connor is also among the entries, as she prepares for her first competition since finishing 13th at the World Championships in Budapest.
Italy&rsquo;s world indoor fourth-place finisher Sveva Gerevini is entered but may not compete due to a hamstring problem.
Making the step up to the senior event is Hungary&rsquo;s 17-year-old Sarolta Kriszt, the 2022 European U18 silver medallist.
For Belgium&rsquo;s Van der Plaetsen, Brescia offers a first decathlon since the Decastar, where he placed sixth, and the chance to make a mark ahead of this year's major competitions.
The 2014 world indoor heptathlon bronze medallist competed in Desenzano del Garda last year but withdrew with a niggle. He then finished fourth in Ratingen before securing sixth in Talence. His PB of 8430 was set in Gotzis in 2021.
His competition this time includes Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Helcelet and Poland&rsquo;s Pawel Wiesiolek, both of whom have also surpassed 8300 in their careers so far. More recently, Helcelet scored 8034 to finish second at the Wieslaw Czapiewski Memorial in Bydgoszcz in July, while Wiesiolek won the Polish indoor heptathlon title in February.
They will go up against Italian record-holder Dario Dester, who achieved that 8218-point record at the European Championships in Munich in 2022. The Multistars will be his first decathlon since then.
Also looking to make an impact will be Estonia&rsquo;s European indoor heptathlon bronze medallist Risto Lillemets, Brazil&rsquo;s South American champion Jose Fernando Ferreira Santana and Belgium&rsquo;s Jente Hauttekeete, the world U20 heptathlon record-holder.
Lillemets was fifth at Decastar in September, while Ferreira Santana set his PB of 8058 last July.
Hauttekeete had a busy start to the year and he won the national indoor heptathlon title with 6131 in February before finishing eighth at the World Indoor Championships.
Like Kriszt, 19-year-old European U20 bronze medallist Andrin Huber steps up to senior competition in&nbsp;Brescia.

Taliyah Brooks defends her heptathlon title, while Thomas Van der Plaetsen heads the decathlon field at Multistars

Multistars kicks off Combined Events Tour Gold

Emma Oosterwegel and Karel Tilga have been confirmed as the winners of the 2023 World Athletics Combined Events Tour, which rewards their season-long consistency in the heptathlon and decathlon, respectively.
The Combined Events Tour takes each athlete&rsquo;s best three marks across the series and converts them into result scores (also used as the basis of the world rankings system). Winners of the Combined Events Tour, which features both indoor and outdoor meetings, receive a US$30,000 prize.
The top eight at the end of the season are:
Heptathlon 1 Emma Oosterwegel (NED) 3454 2 Sophie Weissenberg (GER) 3433 3 Saga Vanninen (FIN) 3399 4 Rita Nemes (HUN) 3301 5 Kate O'Connor (IRL) 3278 6 Auriana Lazraq-Khlass (FRA) 3276 7 Vanessa Grimm (GER) 3260 8 Yuliya Loban (UKR) 3232 <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2023/women" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2023/women">Full standings</a>
Decathlon 1 Karel Tilga (EST) 3622 2 Sander Skotheim (NOR) 3572 3 Lindon Victor (GRN) 3539 4 Manuel Eitel (GER) 3493 5 Makenson Gletty (FRA) 3473 6 Jente Hauttekeete (BEL) 3380 7 Jose Fernando Ferreira Santana (BRA) 3355 8 Tim Nowak (GER) 3346 <a href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2023/men" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-cke-saved-href="https://www.worldathletics.org/competitions/world-athletics-combined-events-tour/standings/2023/men">Full standings</a>
Oosterwegel&rsquo;s highest single score of the season came at the Decastar meeting in Talence last month, where the Olympic bronze medallist successfully defended her heptathlon title.
With a season&rsquo;s best of 6495 points, the Dutch heptathlete moved up to fourth on this year&rsquo;s top list behind the three world medallists. Oosterwegel&rsquo;s series in Talence included a javelin PB of 56.66m &ndash; a throw almost 10 metres farther than any other mark recorded in the competition.
Prior to that, Oosterwegel had finished third in the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting in June, scoring 6209 points. Like in Talence, she also surpassed 6400 in Budapest &ndash; finishing fifth in the World Athletics Championships with 6464.
Germany&rsquo;s Sophie Weissenberg secured second place in the series, thanks to her performances in Gotzis, Ratingen and Budapest. She also achieved 6200-plus points in each of her scoring competitions, finishing fifth in the Gotzis Hypomeeting with 6375, second in the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting with 6247 and then seventh at the World Athletics Championships with a PB of 6438.
Finland&rsquo;s two-time world U20 champion Saga Vanninen also had an impressive season in her first year out of that age group. She finished second in the pentathlon at the Indoor Combined Events meeting in Tallinn, scoring a PB of 4541, and was then fourth in the heptathlon in Gotzis with a PB of 6391 and ninth in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest (6289). She also won the European U23 title in Espoo.
In the decathlon, Estonia&rsquo;s Tilga started his season on a high as he won in Desenzano del Garda in April, setting a Multistars record of 8482. He then finished fourth in the Hypomeeting in Gotzis (8403) and ended his campaign with the competition of his life, scoring a PB of 8681 to finish fourth at the World Championships.
His series in Budapest included PBs in the 100m, pole vault and 1500m, and in total he improved in seven of the 10 decathlon disciplines in 2023. His PB tally of 8681 in Budapest was the best ever score for fourth place.
Sander Skotheim achieved his first scoring performance as part of the tour in the heptathlon at the Indoor Combined Events meeting in Tallinn (6255) and he went on to claim silver at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul with a Norwegian record of 6318.
He then set a decathlon PB of 8590 to finish third in Gotzis and after securing another European silver at the U23 event in Espoo, the 21-year-old placed 10th in the World Championships (8263).
Grenada&rsquo;s Lindon Victor, who won the series last year, this time placed third, helped by his bronze medal win at the World Championships where he scored a national record of 8756. He also finished third at the Decastar meeting (7980) and seventh in Gotzis (8293).
World Athletics

Emma Oosterwegel and Karel Tilga have been confirmed as the winners of the 2023 World Athletics Combined Events Tour, which rewards their season-long consistency in the heptathlon and decathlon

Oosterwegel and Tilga win World Athletics Combined Events Tour

Olympic bronze medallist Emma Oosterwegel successfully defended her heptathlon title at the Decastar meeting in Talence while Makenson Gletty smashed his PB to win the decathlon at the final World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event of the year on Sunday (24).
Dutch heptathlete Oosterwegel ended her 2023 campaign on a high, scoring a season&rsquo;s best of 6495 to move to fourth on this year&rsquo;s world list behind the three world medallists. French all-rounder Gletty, meanwhile, added 164 points to his PB to take the decathlon with 8443.
USA&rsquo;s Taliyah Brooks, winner of Multistars earlier this year, got off to the strongest start in the heptathlon as she clocked 12.91 to take the lead after the first event, the 100m hurdles. A 1.75m clearance in the high jump kept Brooks at the top of the leaderboard ahead of Switzerland&rsquo;s Annik Kalin, who clocked 13.21 and cleared 1.75m, and Germany&rsquo;s Sophie Weissenberg, who topped the high jump with a 1.81m clearance after clocking 13.72 in the hurdles.
Oosterwegel, meanwhile, was in fifth after her 13.46 run in the hurdles and 1.75m leap in the high jump. But a 13.80m throw in the shot put moved her up to third overall. Weissenberg took the lead after throwing 13.67m, while Brooks (12.93m) slipped to second.
The margins tightened after the 200m as Brooks closed the gap to just a single point, clocking 24.02 to Weissenberg&rsquo;s 24.05 in the 200m. Oosterwegel ran 24.48 to hold on to third place ahead of Kalin and Marijke Esselink of the Netherlands.
Kalin catapulted herself to the top of the leaderboard after the first event of day two, leaping 6.67m in the long jump to move 36 points clear of Brooks, who jumped 6.24m. A 6.18m jump from Oosterwegel kept her in third place overall.
Oosterwegel then produced one of the stand-out performances of the day, throwing a javelin PB of 56.66m &ndash; almost 10 metres farther than the next-best heptathlete &ndash; to move into the overall lead with one event remaining. Kalin threw 46.05m, while Brooks managed 37.41m.
Oosterwegel rounded out her weekend with a solid 2:13.62 clocking in the 800m, bringing her tally to 6495 &ndash; the second-best score of her career after the 6590 PB she set when earning Olympic bronze in Tokyo.
Kalin was second with 6390 and Brooks held on to third place with 6181. Oosterwegel&rsquo;s victory moved her into the overall lead in the Combined Events Tour standings.
<h2>Redemption for Gletty</h2>
Gletty, who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Championships, went into Decastar fired up and ready to end his season on a high.
He got off to a strong start, clocking 10.78 in the 100m and leaping 7.34m in the long jump, then moved into the lead thanks to a 16.46m heave in the shot put, a PB by 10cm. Once he made it to the top of the leaderboard, he did not relinquish that position for the rest of the competition.
Germany&rsquo;s Manuel Eitel provided strong opposition, though. He was the early leader after clocking 10.64 in the 100m, then Switzerland&rsquo;s Finley Gaio went to the top of the standings after leaping 7.54m in the long jump.
Belgium&rsquo;s world U20 heptathlon record-holder Jente Hauttekeete moved from ninth to fifth &ndash; behind Gletty, Eitel, Gaio and Victor &ndash; thanks to his 2.08m clearance in the high jump, the best of the day by nine centimetres. Gletty, Eitel and world bronze medallist Lindon Victor each managed 1.96m, while Gaio cleared 1.93m.
The top of the standings remained the same following the day&rsquo;s final event, the 400m. Gaio clocked 48.30 and Gletty a PB of 48.38 to finish day one in the lead ahead of Eitel, who ran 48.75.
Gletty&rsquo;s second day started well as he produced the fastest time in the 110m hurdles, 14.01, extending his lead over Eitel and Gaio. Victor made up ground in the discus, throwing 48.74m to move into third overall behind Eitel, but Gletty maintained the lead with his 41.67m throw.
From thereon in, the positions of the top three remained the same. A 17-centimetre improvement on his PB in the pole vault, 5.07m, gave Getty a comfortable lead of more than 200 points over Eitel (4.67m) and Victor (4.77m).
The gaps closed slightly after the javelin, Eitel throwing 63.68m to Victor&rsquo;s 62.95m and Gletty&rsquo;s 59.77m. But Gletty could not be caught in the final event, the 1500m, and he ended his series with a solid 4:27.46 clocking. That gave the 24-year-old a winning score of 8443, moving him to sixth on the French all-time list and 14th on this year&rsquo;s world list.
Eitel was second with 8193 and Victor held on to third with 7980.

Oosterwegel wins Decastar heptathlon with 6495, Gletty takes decathlon with 8443 PB

Oosterwegel and Gletty end season on a high in Talence

Global bronze medallists Lindon Victor and Emma Oosterwegel return to defend their titles at the Decastar meeting, this season&rsquo;s final World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event, in Talence this weekend (23-24).
Victor broke his own Grenadian record with 8550 points to win the Decastar decathlon last year and improved again &ndash; to 8756 &ndash; to claim world bronze in Budapest last month. Olympic bronze medallist Oosterwegel, meanwhile, tied with Ivona Dadic in Talence, as they both scored 6233 points to top the heptathlon.
Now Victor and Oosterwegel seek further strong performances as they look to move up the World Athletics Combined Events Tour standings, currently led by Karel Tilga and Sophie Weissenberg, and as athletes aim to make a mark as the Olympic year approaches.
A total of 10 athletes who have surpassed 8200 points in the decathlon and 10 heptathletes with 6200-point-plus PBs will compete at the Stade Pierre Paul Bernard, where Kevin Mayer set his world decathlon record of 9126 in 2018.
Victor moved up to 15th place on that world all-time list topped by Mayer with his performance in Budapest, where he stepped on to a global podium for the first time and finished third behind Canadian duo Pierce LePage and Damian Warner. Such was the standard, Victor&rsquo;s 8756 there was the best mark for third place in any decathlon.
As part of his series, Victor &ndash; the two-time Commonwealth Games champion &ndash; achieved a decathlon championship best of 54.97m in the discus and set PBs in the long jump, 400m and 1500m.
He will be joined in Talence by athletes including Germany&rsquo;s Manuel Eitel, Belgium&rsquo;s Thomas Van der Plaetsen, USA&rsquo;s Devon Williams and Poland&rsquo;s Pawel Wiesiolek.
Like Victor, Eitel was also in action in Budapest where he placed 11th, after scoring a PB of 8351 to finish fifth in Gotzis in May. Van der Plaetsen, who set his 8430 PB when finishing third in Gotzis in 2021, finished fourth in Ratingen in June with 8233 points.
The field also features athletes including French champion Makenson Gletty, Estonia&rsquo;s Risto Lillemets and Belgium&rsquo;s world U20 heptathlon record-holder Jente Hauttekeete.
In the heptathlon, Hungary&rsquo;s Xenia Krizsan, Netherlands&rsquo; Oosterwegel and Germany&rsquo;s Weissenberg compete again, one month on from their respective fourth, fifth and seventh place finishes at the World Championships.
On home soil in Budapest, Krizsan scored 6479 for her third best heptathlon behind the 6651 national record she set to win in Gotzis in 2021. Her World Championships performance left her just 22 points off the bronze medal mark.
Oosterwegel achieved 6464 points in Budapest &ndash; the second best score of her career behind the 6590 PB she set for Olympic bronze in Tokyo &ndash; and Talence offers her a third heptathlon of the year after she also placed third in Ratingen in June.
Weissenberg finished one place ahead of Oosterwegel in Ratingen and then set a PB of 6438 for seventh in Budapest.
Annie Kunz leads the field when it comes to PBs thanks to the 6703 points she set to win the US title in 2021 before finishing sixth at the Tokyo Olympics. Her compatriots Michelle Atherley and Taliyah Brooks also compete, with Brooks having set a PB of 6330 to win the Multistars heptathlon in Desenzano del Garda in April.
The entry list also stars Austria&rsquo;s 2019 world bronze medallist Verena Mayr, Switzerland&rsquo;s Annik Kalin and Spain&rsquo;s Claudia Conte, who competes for the first time since last year's European Championships following injury.

Global bronze medallists Lindon Victor and Emma Oosterwegel return to defend their titles at this season’s final World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting

Victor and Oosterwegel to defend Decastar titles in Talence

Germany&rsquo;s Kai Kazmirek and Austria&rsquo;s Sarah Lagger came through in the final stages of the decathlon and heptathlon respectively to win at the Wieslawa Czapiewski Memorial &ndash; a World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting &ndash; in Bydgoszcz on Sunday (23).
Finley Gaio led for the first eight disciplines in the decathlon, while Britain&rsquo;s Jade O&rsquo;Dowda dominated the first day of the heptathlon. O&rsquo;Dowda was a non-starter on day two, though, while Gaio was overtaken by four opponents in the final two decathlon disciplines, narrowly missing the podium.
Gaio was the only man to break 11 seconds in the 100m, doing so comfortably with 10.68 to take an immediate lead. Kazmirek, meanwhile, was fourth overall with 11.08. Gaio also topped the long jump with 7.59m, giving him a comfortable 181-point lead after just two events from Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Helcelet and defending champion Ondrej Kopecky.
The margins closed up slightly after the shot put, though, as Gaio&rsquo;s 13.89m ranked him ninth in that discipline. He held on to his overall lead, but Helcelet (15.10m) consolidated his second place, while Poland&rsquo;s Pawel Wiesiolek (14.39m) also moved up the leaderboard. Poland&rsquo;s Rafal Horbowicz was the top performer, throwing a PB of 15.64m, moving him from 10th overall to fifth.
Gaio cleared 1.94m in the high jump, enough to maintain his lead, while Helcelet got over 1.97m to creep a bit closer in the standings. Lithuania&rsquo;s Edgaras Benkunskas produced the best leap of the day, his 2.03m clearance moving him into third place overall, seven points ahead of Kazmirek, the 2017 world bronze medallist.
A season&rsquo;s best of 47.80 &ndash; easily the fastest of the day in the 400m &ndash; gave Gaio an extra points boost to close out the first day with an overall score of 4280 &ndash; just 19 points shy of his day-one score from his recent 8022 PB in Gotzis.
Kazmirek was second best in the 400m, clocking 48.69, with Wiesiolek (49.38), Benkunskas (49.73) and Tim Nowak (49.78) all finishing inside 50 seconds.
Helcelet held on to second place overall (4081) with Kazmirek close behind (4067) and Benkunskas fourth (4025).
As expected, Gaio &ndash; the fifth-place finisher in the 110m hurdles at last year&rsquo;s European Championships &ndash; extended his lead in the first discipline of day two, clocking 13.84. Kazmirek, meanwhile, clocked a solid 14.58 to remain in contention.
Horbowicz, one of the strongest throwers of the field, was best in the discus (46.82m). Kazmirek threw 42.92m and Gaio managed 37.24m.
The gap between Gaio and Kazmirek narrowed again after the pole vault, with Kazmirek clearing 5.00m &ndash; 30 centimetres higher than Gaio&rsquo;s best.
Gaio finally surrendered the lead after the javelin, throwing just 48.29m. A season&rsquo;s best of 66.19m from Helcelet propelled the Czech decathlete into the lead with one event to go, but Kazmirek &ndash; who threw 60.92m &ndash; was just 41 points behind.
Wiesiolek was first to cross the line in the 1500m (4:35.44) with Kazmirek following a few seconds later in 4:39.34, seven seconds ahead of Helcelet. The difference meant that Kazmirek had done just enough to win with 8038, while Helcelet took second place with 8034. Benkunskas was third (7947) and Gaio fourth (7935).
Headwinds hampered performances in the opening event of the heptathlon on Saturday with Hungary&rsquo;s Rita Nemes being the only athlete to break 14 seconds (13.99). O&rsquo;Dowda clocked 14.02 to finish close behind with home favourite Adrianna Sulek, the European silver medallist, recording 14.04. Lagger was ninth best overall with 14.28.
O&rsquo;Dowda then had the competition of her life in the high jump. The Commonwealth bronze medallist went into it with a season&rsquo;s best of 1.77m and a PB of 1.80m, but she went over both of those heights on her first try. She then cleared 1.83m and 1.86m, eventually retiring after one attempt at 1.89m. Sulek was second best in the high jump with 1.80m, while Lagger cleared a season&rsquo;s best of 1.74m.
Germany&rsquo;s Vanessa Grimm moved up the leaderboard after the shot put, where she posted the best mark of the day with 14.53m, while Ukraine&rsquo;s Yuliya Loban was close behind with 14.45m. Lagger&rsquo;s 14.21m throw moved her into fifth place overall.
O&rsquo;Dowda threw 13.22m, while Sulek managed 12.68m. By the end of that event, Dowda had a 57-point lead over Loban with Grimm in third and Sulek a close fourth.
The final discipline of the day, the 200m, was close between the leading contenders. Australia&rsquo;s Tori West was the quickest with 24.62, but Grimm (24.66), Sulek (24.69) and O&rsquo;Dowda (24.80) were close behind.
O&rsquo;Dowda ended the first day in the lead with 3677 points, with Grimm second (3596), Sulek third (3572) and Loban fourth (3570). Lagger, meanwhile, was down in seventh (3480) after recording the slowest time in the 200m (25.63).
But the 2016 world U20 champion&rsquo;s fortunes started to change on the second day.
Nemes started the second day in the same way she&rsquo;d started the first &ndash; with a winning performance. The Hungarian leaped a PB of 6.30m in the long jump, while Grimm jumped 6.28m. Lagger managed 6.09m and Sulek jumped 6.04m.
With O&rsquo;Dowda withdrawing from the competition, it meant Grimm moved into the overall lead from Loban and Sulek, with Lagger now in fifth.
Lagger then produced the best mark of the day in the javelin, 47.44m, catapulting her into second place, just 20 points behind Loban, whose 43.29m javelin throw helped move her into the lead.
Nemes rounded out the weekend with victory in the 800m (2:11.47), but Lagger was close behind in 2:13.01, and finished comfortably ahead of Loban (2:18.41). It meant that Lagger took the overall victory with a season&rsquo;s best of 6089 from Grimm (6058) and Nemes (6049). Loban was fourth with 6033.

Kazmirek scores 8038, Lagger scores 6089

Kazmirek and Lagger make late charge in Bydgoszcz

World indoor silver medallist Adrianna Sulek will defend her title at the Wieslaw Czapiewski Memorial &ndash; the last stop on the Combined Events Tour before the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 &ndash; on 22-23 July.
For Sulek, it will be an opportunity to remember her former coach, after whom the meeting is named. The Pole was coached by Czapiewski up until his death in 2019.
Sulek won in Bydgoszcz last year with 6290, which at the time was just 25 points shy of her PB. She went on to improve on that with 6429 in G&ouml;tzis before breaking the Polish record with 6672 to finish fourth at the World Championships. She ended her 2022 season by taking silver at the European Championships with 6532.
She started 2023 in tremendous form, breaking her own national indoor pentathlon record with 4860 and then improving on that at the European Indoor Championships with 5014. Her score was better than the pre-event world record, but world and Olympic champion beat her to the title &ndash; and the world record &ndash; with 5055.
Outdoors, Sulek finished third in G&ouml;tzis with 6480 &ndash; her best score outside of a major championships &ndash; and last month she won the Polish heptathlon title with a comfortable 6152.
Sulek was the overall winner of the Combined Events Tour last year, and a strong performance this weekend should see her move to the top of the standings for 2023.
She&rsquo;ll have strong opposition from home and abroad. Britain&rsquo;s Jade O&rsquo;Dowda, the Commonwealth bronze medallist, heads to Bydgoszcz following a PB of 6255 in G&ouml;tzis, where she finished 10th. Since then, she has set PBs in the long jump and 100m hurdles, so there could be potential to improve on her score in Bydgoszcz.
Poland&rsquo;s Paulina Ligarska will be Sulek&rsquo;s biggest domestic rival. She set a PB of 6241 last year and finished 10th at the World Championships, while her best so far this year is 6013.
Geraldine Ruckstuhl, the 2015 world U18 champion, is also entered. The Swiss heptathlete scored 5872 in her last complete heptathlon, while her PB of 6391 dates back to 2018.
Belgium&rsquo;s Thomas van der Plaetsen leads the men&rsquo;s decathlon field. The 2016 European champion had a limited 2022 season, after injuring himself at the 2021 Olympic Games, but he returned to combined events action earlier this year and finished fourth in Ratingen with 8233 &ndash; a series that included PBs in the shot put (14.72m) and javelin (68.94m).
He will now look to build on that and get close to the PB of 8430 he set in 2021. He will also have the World Championships qualifying standard of 8460 in his sights, or will at least want to bank enough world rankings points to put himself in a position to qualify for Budapest.
Several other decathletes will be keen to boost their world ranking in Bydgoszcz.
Ondrej Kopecky returns to defend his title. The Czech decathlete won in Bydgoszcz last year with 8041 &ndash; his first time above 8000 points &ndash; and then improved to 8310 to win the Czech title. Earlier this year he won the national indoor title with a heptathlon PB of 6024 and finished sixth at the European Indoor Championships. He placed 17th in G&ouml;tzis with 7928 and currently sits just two places outside the world rankings quota for a place in Budapest.
Germany&rsquo;s 2017 world bronze medallist Kai Kazmirek is yet to complete a decathlon this year, but his performances in individual disciplines suggest he&rsquo;s in form to surpass 8000 points.
Pawel Wiesiolek and Rafal Horbowicz lead the domestic challenge. Wiesiolek, an 8333 decathlete at his best, has a season&rsquo;s best of 7872 and he came within five points of that mark to win the Polish title last month. Horbowicz, meanwhile, is the national indoor champion and has set a decathlon PB of 7800 earlier this year.

Adrianna Sulek and Thomas van der Plaetsen lead the fields

Sulek seeks second success in Bydgoszcz

Niklas Kaul achieved the Olympic standard with 8484 points to claim his first Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting decathlon victory, while Carolin Schafer scored 6369 to win the heptathlon for the third time at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event on Saturday and Sunday (17-18).
Germany&rsquo;s 2019 world champion Kaul surpassed the World Championships qualification standard of 8460 points for Budapest when winning his European title last year and in Ratingen he bettered that mark again to beat the standard for the Olympic Games in Paris.
He did so by 24 points, scoring his fourth-best ever tally and winning by 103 ahead of Spain&rsquo;s Jorge Urena (8381) and Netherlands&rsquo; Rik Taam (8326), who both achieved PBs.
In the heptathlon, Schafer added another victory to her wins from 2017 and 2018, taking top spot ahead of her compatriot and the 2022 winner in Ratingen, Sophie Weissenberg (6247), and Netherlands&rsquo; Emma Oosterwegel (6209).
The decathlon was close throughout the first day of action. Dutch indoor champion Sven Jansons was the surprise early leader after setting a PB of 10.65 in the 100m and following it with a windy 7.53m in the long jump and 13.63m in the shot put. But soon after, the 21-year-old was forced to withdraw from the competition due to adductor issues.
A 2.04m leap from Urena propelled the Spaniard into the overall lead, just ahead of German duo Nico Beckers and Felix Wolter. Of that lead trio, Wolter had performed best in the 100m (10.72) and long jump (7.69m), while Beckers excelled in the shot put (15.86m).
Wolter closed the gap on Urena in the 400m, running 47.59, but Urena&rsquo;s 48.39 clocking was just enough to ensure he held on to the lead at the end of the first day with a score of 4292, five points ahead of Wolter. Beckers ran 48.60 in the 400m, while Taam produced the fastest time of the day (47.18), moving him from sixth to fourth overall.
Kaul was in fifth place after a solid first day, highlighted by his second-best ever long jump (7.34m) and his third-best ever 400m (48.21). He also ran 11.50 (-1.7m/s) in the 100m, threw 14.66m in the shot put and cleared 2.04m in the high jump and was just 135 points shy of leader Urena with several strong events to come on day two.
Urena picked up from where he left off on Sunday, recording the fastest time in the 110m hurdles of 14.00. Wolter retained his No.2 spot with a 14.28 PB, while Kaul got close to his PB with 14.31.
A throw of 48.57m in the discus &ndash; his second-best ever mark &ndash; launched Kaul from fifth to first and although he dropped down to third behind Taam and Urena after this 4.80m clearance in the pole vault, his 67.44m in the javelin &ndash; more than 11 metres below his best, in an event in which he was trying a new technique &ndash; put him back on top and his winning time of 4:14.19 in the 1500m ensured he stayed there.
Urena held on to his second place, throwing 39.37m in the discus and then clearing 4.90m in the pole vault and throwing 64.00m &ndash; just 2cm off his 2015 PB &ndash; in the javelin, before running a 1500m PB of 4:24.04 to add 59 points to his previous decathlon best achieved at the Olympics in Tokyo.
Taam also achieved a 1500m PB, running 4:20.99, which came after a 14.47 110m hurdles performance, 47.29m discus throw, 5.00m pole vault clearance and 57.63m javelin throw. He also leapt a long jump PB of 7.33m on day one to help him to a decathlon lifetime best of 8326, taking him above 8300 points for the first time.
Belgium&rsquo;s Thomas Van der Plaetsen finished the first day in sixth place but a javelin throw of 68.94m &ndash; a PB by more than three metres &ndash; moved him up to third and he eventually finished fourth after a 4:45.91 1500m, taking him to a 8233 tally. Wolter finished fifth on 8118 points as a total of seven decathletes surpassed 8000 points, Germany&rsquo;s Tim Nowak scoring 8075 and his compatriot Jannis Wolff 8033 to achieve a 8000 point-plus score for the first time following a performance that featured PBs in four disciplines, including 46.00m in the discus to add almost five metres to his previous best.
On the hunt for her third win in Ratingen, Schafer led the heptathlon with 3812 points at the end of the first day, 68 ahead of Weissenberg.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/648de9b5501f4279d90fe21a.jpg" alt="Carolin Schafer in the heptathlon 100m hurdles in Ratingen" />
Carolin Schafer in the heptathlon 100m hurdles in Ratingen (&copy; DLV / Benjamin Heller)
</div>
Belgium&rsquo;s world and Olympic champion Nafi Thiam, who was contesting just a few selected disciplines in Ratingen instead of the full heptathlon, posted the fastest time of the day in the 100m hurdles with 13.38, but Schafer was close behind (13.43), giving her an early advantage over Weissenberg (13.67).
But Weissenberg responded with 1.81m in the high jump, six centimetres higher than Schafer&rsquo;s best, to take the overall lead.
The standings changed again after the shot put, where Schafer threw 14.75m &ndash; her best mark since 2017, the year in which she earned world heptathlon silver. Weissenberg managed 13.33m to slip to third in the overall standings behind USA&rsquo;s Shaina Burns, who threw 13.56m.
Schafer&rsquo;s momentum continued in the 200m as she finished ahead of her compatriot once more, 23.88 to 24.03. It gave Schafer an overall leading tally of 3812 &ndash; her best day-one score since the 2018 European Championships.
Weissenberg ended day one with a score of 3744, about 100 points shy of the first-day score she achieved last month in G&ouml;tzis where she finished fifth with 6375.
Thiam skipped the high jump, but threw 15.20m in the shot put and ran 24.45 in the 200m.
Weissenberg leapt into the lead at the start of day two with 6.31m in the long jump, the second-farthest mark of the day behind Thiam&rsquo;s 6.59m, as Schafer recorded 5.83m and moved into second spot.
Schafer was No.1 again after the javelin, however, as she threw 50.23m in a discipline topped by Thiam&rsquo;s 52.61m. Schafer then clocked 2:14.94 to triumph by 122 points, as Weissenberg ran 2:22.24 to hold on to her runner-up place.
Olympic bronze medallist Oosterwegel jumped from sixth to third with a 52.04m javelin throw after long jumping 5.83m and that is where she would stay as she won the 800m in 2:12.60 for an overall score of 6209 points.
Ireland&rsquo;s Kate O'Connor and Austria&rsquo;s 2019 world bronze medallist Verena Mayr, contesting her first heptathlon since the Olympic Games in Tokyo and following thigh problems, also surpassed 6000 points, scoring 6125 and 6023, respectively.

Niklas Kaul achieved the Olympic standard while Carolin Schafer claimed her third Ratingen title

Kaul and Schafer win in Ratingen

Some of the world&rsquo;s leading combined events athletes will be in action at the Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting this weekend (17-18) when the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold event returns to the German town.
Germany&rsquo;s Sophie Weissenberg defends her heptathlon title, 2019 world champion Niklas Kaul contests his first full decathlon of the year, and multiple world and Olympic gold medallist Nafissatou Thiam tests herself in some of the disciplines as athletes look to make their mark in the lead up to the World Athletics Championships Budapest 23 in August.
<h2>Weissenberg returns</h2>
Weissenberg, the 2019 European U23 silver medallist, heads back to the Stadionring where last year she won with 6273 points ahead of her German compatriot Carolin Schafer (6170), who also returns to compete in front of a home crowd.
Both athletes competed in Gotzis last month, Weissenberg finishing fifth with a PB of 6375 points and 2017 world silver medallist Schafer also surpassing 6300 points with 6312. They will be looking to build on those performances in Ratingen, as they go up against their compatriot Vanessa Grimm, Netherlands&rsquo; Olympic bronze medallist Emma Oosterwegel, Austria&rsquo;s 2019 world bronze medallist Verena Mayr and Canada&rsquo;s Georgia Ellenwood, the 2021 winner in Ratingen.
Grimm continues her return after injury, following the 6035-point performance she achieved in Gotzis. Mayr &ndash; who set her 6591 PB when winning in Ratingen in 2019 &ndash; is also on the comeback trail after thigh problems and will contest her first heptathlon since the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Other athletes to have surpassed 6000 points and who are in action in Ratingen are Ireland&rsquo;s Kate O'Connor, Esther Turpin of France, Marijke Esselink of the Netherlands, USA&rsquo;s Shaina Burns, Australia&rsquo;s Tori West and Taneille Crase, and of course Thiam, Belgium&rsquo;s two-time Olympic and two-time world gold medallist, who set her PB of 7013 points in Gotzis in 2017.
Thiam does not intend to contest a full heptathlon until the World Championships in Budapest and will be using the meeting in Ratingen as an opportunity to test her fitness in certain events.
The 28-year-old last competed at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul, where she broke the world indoor pentathlon record with her score of 5055 points.
<h2>Kaul leads decathlon field&nbsp;</h2>
Kaul achieved the World Championships qualification standard of 8460 points when winning the European decathlon title in Munich last year and in Ratingen his aim will be to surpass that mark again to achieve the standard for the Olympic Games in Paris.
The 25-year-old &ndash; who set his PB of 8691 points when winning his world title in 2019 &ndash; will also be looking to make a statement after his compatriot Leo Neugebauer broke the long-standing national record with a 8836-point collegiate record at the NCAA Championships last week.
Kaul is among eight athletes with PBs over 8000 points who are competing in Ratingen. Belgium&rsquo;s Thomas Van der Plaetsen set his lifetime best of 8430 in Gotzis in 2021 and continues to work towards a return to top form following injury sustained at the Olympics in Tokyo. He competed at the Multistars in April before withdrawing with a niggle. Spain&rsquo;s Jorge Urena also set his PB of 8322 in 2021, that performance coming at the Olympic Games, while Netherlands&rsquo; Rik Taam had the competition of his career so far in Gotzis last year, scoring 8246 ponts.
Czechia&rsquo;s Adam Sebastian Helcelet contests his first decathlon of the season, as does Estonia&rsquo;s Risto Lillemets.
Looking to join their compatriot Kaul in Budapest are Tim Nowak and Felix Wolter, and they are both in action in Ratingen.

Sophie Weissenberg defends her heptathlon title, Niklas Kaul contests his first full decathlon of the year, and Nafissatou Thiam tests herself in some of the disciplines

Combined events stars look to make a mark in Ratingen

US all-rounder Anna Hall gave the 7000-point barrier a scare at the Hypo Meeting in G&ouml;tzis, winning the heptathlon at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting with a world-leading 6988.
It means that, at just 22 years of age, Hall moves to fifth on the world all-time list behind the four members of the 7000-point club: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Carolina Kluft, Nafissatou Thiam and Larisa Nikitina.
The Hypo Meeting decathlon title, meanwhile, remained in Canadian hands, but seven-time winner Damian Warner had to surrender his crown to compatriot Pierce LePage, who won with a world-leading 8700.
Hall, the world bronze medallist, set the tone for the weekend in the first discipline, winning the 100m hurdles in 12.75 to take 0.03 off the meeting record. She moved straight into the lead, and there she stayed for the duration of the competition.
US compatriot Taliyah Brooks finished second in the 100m hurdles (12.85), while Cuba&rsquo;s Adriana Rodriguez also dipped under 13 seconds to place third (12.97) ahead of Adrianna Sulek from Poland (13.18).
Hall set another PB in the high jump with 1.92m, a height that was matched by Croatia&rsquo;s 17-year-old Jana Koscak, the European U18 champion. Sulek moved into third after clearing 1.83m, while Britain&rsquo;s 2019 world champion Katarina Johnson-Thompson cleared 1.89m to move to fourth place.
Two-time world U20 champion Saga Vanninen from Finland moved into fourth after winning the shot put with 14.98m. Hall recorded 13.90m to hold on to her lead ahead of Sulek, who improved her PB to 14.44m to move into second place. Johnson-Thompson, meanwhile, added six centimetres to her PB with 13.92m to remain in contention.
Hall&rsquo;s momentum continued in the 200m, which she won in a PB of 22.88, giving her a day-one score of 4172. Only Joyner-Kersee, the world record-holder, ever managed a better day-one score. Johnson-Thompson ran 23.26 to move into third place behind Sulek, who ran 23.80.
Despite producing the three best marks of the long jump at the start of day two &ndash; 6.54m PB, 6.51m and 6.50m &ndash; Hall was frustrated that she took off significantly behind the board on some of those attempts. Nevertheless, she extended her lead over Sulek and Johnson-Thompson, who jumped 6.29m and 6.32m respectively.
Vanninen also moved up the leaderboard thanks to a PB of 6.43m. But the discipline marked the exit of Multistars winner Brooks, who registered three no-jumps.
The top four were relatively evenly matched in the javelin, Hall maintaining her lead after throwing 43.08m and Johnson-Thompson overtaking Sulek with their respective efforts of 44.14m and 41.83m.
Heading into the final discipline, the 800m, Hall knew that she needed to take 0.87 off her already highly respectable PB (2:03.11) to achieve a 7000-point score. Hall &ndash; who won the US indoor 400m title earlier this year &ndash; went out hard, covering the first lap in 58.51. She held on well in the second half and eventually crossed the line in a PB of 2:02.97, bringing her score to 6988.
Both Hall&rsquo;s 800m performance and her overall score are the second-best marks ever achieved in G&ouml;tzis. Having added 233 points to her PB, Hall also moves to second on the North American all-time list.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m very happy with the score,&rdquo; said a delighted Hall, who made a big breakthrough last year to earn world bronze. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s incredible. The crowd carried me through. It&rsquo;s a dream. I am just 22 and I have time for a score over 7000 points. I am now focused on progressing. I will run the 400 metres hurdles in Florence next Friday and then I will return to the USA to get ready for the US National Championships and the World Championships.&rdquo;
Johnson-Thompson held off Sulek in the 800m, 2:12.40 to 2:14.33, to claim second place in 6556 &ndash; her best score since the 2019 World Championships. Sulek was third in 6480.
Vanninen improved her PB to 6391 to finish fourth, while Germany&rsquo;s Sophie Weissenberg completed the top five with a PB of 6375. Annie Kunz (6330), Sofie Dokter (6321) and Carolin Schaefer (6321) also broke 6300. Koscak, meanwhile, received the &lsquo;Rookie of the Meeting&rsquo; award after finishing ninth with 6293.
World and Olympic silver medallist Anouk Vetter withdrew from the competition on day two as a precaution due to a slight achilles injury.
<h2>LePage succeeds Warner</h2>
As was the case in the heptathlon, the winner of the first decathlon discipline went on to take the overall title. But the lead changed hands more often in the men&rsquo;s contest.
Pierce LePage was fastest in the 100m with a PB of 10.28, matched by Kendrick Thompson of The Bahamas. Olympic champion Damian Warner was close behind with 10.29, while Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Moloney clocked 10.39.
&ldquo;I haven&rsquo;t competed for a while, so I didn&rsquo;t expect a PB,&rdquo; said LePage. &ldquo;It was the first time that I&rsquo;ve beaten Warner in the 100m.&rdquo;
Warner&rsquo;s 7.75m leap in the long jump gave him the overall lead from LePage, who jumped 7.57m. Moloney moved up to third with 7.60m, but European silver medallist Simon Ehammer had three fouls in the discipline at which he is the world bronze medallist.
Grenada&rsquo;s Lindon Victor moved into contention after throwing 16.13m in the shot put, but at the top of the leaderboard Warner held on to his lead after throwing 14.92m to LePage&rsquo;s 15.05m. Moloney, meanwhile, improved his PB to 15.20m to remain in third.
Norway&rsquo;s European indoor silver medallist Sander Skotheim cleared 2.15m to win the high jump, climbing from 11th to third overall. LePage cleared 2.03m to close the gap on Warner, who jumped 2.00m to maintain his overall lead by just six points.
A 47.66 run from Warner in the 400m helped increase his margin over LePage, who clocked 48.01. Moloney was quickest overall with a meeting record of 46.46, consolidating his third place. Skotheim, meanwhile, set a PB of 47.64.
At the start of the second day, Warner won the 110m hurdles in 13.60, edging Finley Gaio by 0.02. LePage finished in 13.87 to keep his compatriot within his sights.
But the tables turned in the discus, as LePage out-performed Warner by more than three metres, 49.34m to 46.32m, giving LePage a nine-point lead.
LePage went on to extend his lead over the next two disciplines, clearing 5.00m to Warner&rsquo;s 4.50m in the pole vault, and throwing a PB of 63.09m in the javelin to finish comfortably ahead of Warner (59.92m). Skotheim held third place for the duration of the second day, but Moloney had a disappointing pole vault and javelin and so did not start for the 1500m.
Going into the final discipline, LePage had a 206-point lead over Warner, which translates to roughly half a minute in 1500m terms.
Skotheim won the 1500m with a PB of 4:19.38, but the focus was on the two Canadians behind him. Warner finished in 4:26.16 while LePage followed in 4:45.74, giving him a winning score of 8700. Warner took second place overall with 8619 and Skotheim was rewarded with a massive PB of 8590, earning him the men&rsquo;s &lsquo;Rookie of the Meeting&rsquo; award.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s my first time winning G&ouml;tzis, and my first international win since 2019,&rdquo; said LePage, whose winning score was just one point shy of his PB. &ldquo;The crowd was amazing. Damian pushed me the entire way. He is still the king of G&ouml;tzis.
&ldquo;I came here to have fun,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;The javelin PB came from nowhere. This was one of my least favourite disciplines in the past. It was not a perfect competition.&rdquo;
Warner was magnanimous in defeat. &ldquo;The better man won today,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a matter of time before Pierce LePage is on the big stage and is putting up big numbers. He is coming and I am coming up with him. It was the toughest battle I&rsquo;ve had for a while, but I never thought about giving up.&rdquo;
One month after winning the Multistars meeting, Estonia&rsquo;s Karel Tilga was fourth with 8403. Germany&rsquo;s Manuel Eitel was fifth a PB of 8351 ahead of Australia&rsquo;s Daniel Golubovic (8301) and Lindon Victor (8293).
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics

US all-rounder Anna Hall gave the 7000-point barrier a scare at the Hypo Meeting in Götzis, winning the heptathlon at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting with a world-leading 6988.

Hall scores 6988 to win Götzis heptathlon, LePage takes decathlon

Olympic champion Damian Warner and Olympic silver medallist Anouk Vetter will be in the spotlight at the Hypomeeting in G&ouml;tzis, a World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold meeting, this weekend (27-28).
Warner will compete at the M&ouml;sle-Stadium for the 10th time in pursuit of a record-extending eighth win at the meeting. The Canadian star became the first decathlete to win the Hypomeeting six times in 2021, scoring a then PB of 8995 points. The performance was highlighted by his 10.14 in the 100m and an 8.28m long jump, which was a world decathlon best at the time.
Warner went on to win Olympic gold in Tokyo with a national record of 9018 points, becoming the fourth decathlete in history to surpass the 9000-point barrier. He then won world indoor heptathlon gold in Belgrade in 2022, setting another national record and the second best performance on the all-time list with 6489 points, before clinching his seventh overall &ndash; and sixth consecutive &ndash; victory in G&ouml;tzis with 8797 points.
This weekend Warner returns to decathlon action for the first time since last July when he suffered a hamstring strain during the 400m at the World Championships in Oregon.
Warner&rsquo;s compatriot Pierce LePage will make his fourth appearance at the Hypomeeting. LePage placed second behind Warner in G&ouml;tzis in 2021 with 8534 and won the world silver medal in Oregon with a lifetime best of 8701. He also finished fifth at both the 2019 World Championships in Doha and at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/6292765b02749390bb397548.jpg" alt="Simon Ehammer, Damian Warner and Pierce LePage in the 100m in G&ouml;tzis" />
Simon Ehammer, Damian Warner and Pierce LePage in the 100m in G&ouml;tzis (&copy; AFP / Getty Images)
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Simon Ehammer from Switzerland broke Warner&rsquo;s world decathlon long jump best with 8.30m in Ratingen in 2022 and improved the mark to 8.45m at last year&rsquo;s edition of the Hypomeeting en route to third place with 8377 points. Ehammer won world indoor heptathlon silver behind Warner with a national record of 6363 points in Belgrade and he also claimed world bronze in the long jump with 8.16m in Oregon and European silver in the decathlon with a national record of 8468 points in Munich.
He opened his 2023 season with 8.12m in the long jump and a PB of 13.43 in the 110m hurdles in Basel on 13 May.
The Swiss contingent also features Finley Gaio, who finished fifth in the European Championships 110m hurdles final and set a decathlon PB of 7949 in G&ouml;tzis last year.
Lindon Victor from Grenada returns to G&ouml;tzis, where he placed second last year with 8447 before finishing fifth at the World Championships in Oregon. He went on to win Commonwealth Games gold in Birmingham and won at the Decastar meeting in Talence, setting a national record of 8550. He was later rewarded for his consistency as he took the overall title in the 2022 World Athletics Combined Events Tour. Particularly strong in the javelin, Victor set his PB of 71.56m in that discipline en route to his seventh place at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Australia&rsquo;s Ashley Moloney is also back in G&ouml;tzis, where he finished 13th with 8038 on his debut in 2019 and received the 'rookie of the meeting' award. Moloney, who won the world U20 title in Tampere in 2018, went on to claim two bronze medals at the Olympic Games with an Oceanian record of 8649 points and at the World Indoor Championships in with another area record of 6344 points, the highest third-place tally for a heptathlon competition. He will be joined by his compatriot and training partner Cedric Dubler, who won Commonwealth Games bronze in Birmingham and finished eighth at the World Championships in Oregon with 8246.
Sander Skotheim from Norway will make his debut in G&ouml;tzis after a successful indoor season highlighted by European indoor heptathlon silver, while Karel Tilga from Estonia will compete in his second decathlon competition in a month after winning at the Multistars in Desenzano del Garda with a meeting record of 8482 points.
The Belgian contingent will feature European U20 champion Jente Hauttekeete and Niels Pittomvils, seventh at the European Indoor Championships in Belgrade in 2017.
The line-up also includes Poland&rsquo;s 2021 European indoor bronze medallist Paweł Wiesiolek, Sweden&rsquo;s 2019 European indoor fourth-place finisher Fredrick Samuelsson and USA&rsquo;s Devon Williams, third at this year&rsquo;s Multistars in Desenzano.
<h2>Vetter aims to retain</h2>
Vetter became the first Dutch heptathlon winner in Hypomeeting history last year with a score of 6693, adding four points to the national record she set at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, where she won silver. In the 2022 edition of the G&ouml;tzis meeting Vetter broke Nafissatou Thiam&rsquo;s meeting record in the javelin with a sensational throw of 59.81m.
Vetter went on to win world silver in Oregon with another national record of 6867 points, five years after her bronze medal at the 2017 World Championships in London.
The strong Dutch contingent also features Emma Oosterwegel, the Olympic bronze medallist in Tokyo with 6590 who also finished seventh at the World Championships with 6440, plus Sofie Dokter and Marijke Esselink, who finished fourth and 10th respectively at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul.
Adrianna Sulek from Poland returns to G&ouml;tzis, where she improved her PB to 6429 points to finish second last year. Sulek &ndash; the overall World Athletics Combined Events Tour winner in 2022 &ndash; won world indoor silver with 4851 points in Belgrade and improved the Polish record to 6672 points to finish fourth at the World Championships in Oregon. She started 2023 with a pentathlon silver medal at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul with 5014 points, surpassing the previous world record set by Nataliya Dobrynska at the 2012 World Indoor Championships in the same arena. Finishing first in the 800m, Sulek held the world record for about six seconds, but she had to settle for No.2 all time, as Thiam followed her over the finish line to improve the mark even further, achieving 5055 points.
NCAA champion Anna Hall will make her debut in G&ouml;tzis. The 22-year-old won world bronze, becoming the third-best heptathlete in US history with her PB of 6755 points. She holds the third-fastest ever heptathlon 800m time with 2:03.11 and has a PB of 54.48 in the 400m hurdles. This year Hall broke Brianne Theisen-Eaton&rsquo;s North American record with 5004 points in the pentathlon at the US Indoor Championships and at the same championships she later won the 400m, clocking a PB of 51.03.&nbsp;
<div><img style="max-width: 900px; width: 100%; display: block;" src="https://assets.aws.worldathletics.org/63ef78d22c2119c457c4a7e2.jpg" alt="Anna Hall crosses the 800m finish line to break the area indoor pentathlon record at the US Indoor Championships" />
Anna Hall crosses the 800m finish line to break the area indoor pentathlon record at the US Indoor Championships (&copy; Kevin Morris)
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USA&rsquo;s Taliyah Brooks will compete in her second heptathlon meeting this year after taking the win at Multistars with a world-leading score of 6330 points. There she performed well in the long jump, leaping 6.65m in what is one of her strongest events &ndash; one in which she holds a PB of 6.78m. She also excels in the 100m hurdles and has a PB of 12.61.
The other top US heptathlete is Annie Kunz, who won the US Olympic Trials in 2021 with her PB of 6703 and finished sixth at the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
British combined events star Katarina Johnson-Thompson returns to the M&ouml;sle-Stadium, scene of her victories in 2014 (6682) and 2019 (6813).
The 2019 world champion, who improved Jessica Ennis-Hill&rsquo;s national record when she won in Doha with 6981, claimed her second consecutive Commonwealth Games crown in Birmingham last year in her most recent heptathlon competition. The 2018 world indoor pentathlon champion clocked 13.73 in the 100m hurdles and threw 13.13m in the shot put in Loughborough last weekend.
Great Britain will be also represented by Jade O&rsquo;Dowda, Holly Mills and Niamh Emerson. O&rsquo;Dowda won bronze at the Commonwealth Games and placed second in Desenzano del Garda this year, while Mills finished fourth at both the World Indoor Championships and Commonwealth Games and Emerson is the 2018 world U20 gold medallist.
Hungary&rsquo;s Xenia Krizsan has fond memories of G&ouml;tzis, as she won this meeting in 2021 with a national record of 6651. She finished fifth at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul with 4493.
German star Carolin Sch&auml;fer also returns to the Hypomeeting, where she has claimed three top three finishes (2015-17). Sch&auml;fer won world silver in London in 2017 and European bronze in Berlin 2018. The German contingent also includes Sophie Weissenberg and Vanessa Grimm, who was third in last year&rsquo;s edition of the Hypomeeting with her lifetime best of 6323.
The rising star to watch is Saga Vanninen from Finland, who won two world U20 titles in Nairobi in 2021 and Cali in 2022 as well as European U20 gold in Tallin in 2021 with her lifetime best of 6271.
Other athletes with a PB over 6200 are Canada&rsquo;s Georgia Ellenwood, Cuba&rsquo;s Adriana Rodriguez, Maria Huntington from Finland and Paulina Ligarska from Poland.
Austrian hopes are carried by 2016 world U20 gold medallist Sara Lagger, who finished fourth at this year&rsquo;s Multistars with 6010 in her first heptathlon competition since July 2021, when she finished fourth at the European U23 Championships. She is joined by local athlete Chiara-Belinda Schuler, who won the bronze medal at the European U18 Championships in 2018.
Diego Sampaolo for World Athletics

Olympic champion Damian Warner and Olympic silver medallist Anouk Vetter will be in the spotlight at the Hypomeeting in Götzis

Calendar
Date	Meeting	Venue	Country
27–28 JAN 2024	X-ATHLETICS	Stadium Jean-Pellez, Aubiére	FRA
03–04 FEB 2024	Tallinn 2024	Lasnamäe Kergejõustikuhall, Tallinn	EST
17–18 APR 2024	Mt. SAC Relays	Hilmer Lodge Stadium, Walnut, CA	USA
27–28 APR 2024	37th Multistars	Centro Gabre Gabric, Brescia	ITA
11–12 MAY 2024	Aligenis Milos Combined Events Meeting	Milos Municipal Stadium, Milos	GRE
11–12 MAY 2024	XIII Meeting Arona Pruebas Combinadas	Antonio Domínguez Stadium, Arona	ESP
18–19 MAY 2024	Hypomeeting	Mösle-Stadium, Götzis	AUT
15–16 JUN 2024	Nordic Combined Events Championships	Frjálsíþróttavöllur ÍR, Reykjavík	ISL
21–30 JUN 2024	U.S. Olympic Team Trials	Hayward Field, Eugene, OR	USA
22–23 JUN 2024	Stadtwerke Ratingen Mehrkampf-Meeting	Stadionring, Ratingen	GER
29–30 JUN 2024	EAP International Combined Events Meeting	Tynedale Athletics Park, Hexham	GBR
10–11 AUG 2024	Sollentuna Combined Events	Sollentunavallen, Sollentuna	SWE
31 AUG–01 SEP 2024	3rd Wiesław Czapiewski Memorial	Stadion Miejski, Nakło nad Notecią	POL
14–15 SEP 2024	Décastar	Stade Pierre Paul Bernard, Talence	FRA

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