An octathlon is a

combined event Combined track and field events are competitions in which athletes participate in a number of track and field events, earning points for their performance in each event, which adds to a total points score. Outdoors, the most common combined events ...

competition consisting of eight different sports or contests.

Track and field

An octathlon in

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competiti ...

is an event which consists of eight

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events ...

events. The word "octathlon" derives from the Greek words okto, the number 8, and athlos, meaning contest. The most common version of the

is contested by boys at youth level, most notably at the

IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics The IAAF U18 Championships in Athletics (until 2015 known as IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics) was a global athletics event comprising track and field events for competitors who were 17 or younger (youth = Under-18). The event was orga ...

. The events within the youth octathlon are: the

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

110 metres hurdles The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-metre hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the 100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hur ...

high jump The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat f ...

, 400 metres, shot put, javelin throw, and finally the 1000 metres (omitting the discus & pole vault of the 10 event decathlon). Although this is primarily a youth or junior event, logistical problems have seen senior octathlons contested, for example Athletics at the 2007 Pacific Games#Men, at the 2007 South Pacific Games.

Workouts

The octathlon can also refer to a set of gym exercises, including the stationary bike, lat pulldown, step ups, row machine, treadmill, and bench press. Because all of these events are done on gym equipment, it can be done in most health clubs. Some claim it to be the ideal pre-season sport for athletes due to its mix of strength and cardiovascular activities.Octathlon rules
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References

{{reflist Combined track and field events Multisports