Olympic Heptathlon Rules

The women’s heptathlon rules are exactly the same as the men’s decathlon rules except that the heptathlon consists of seven events, also held on two consecutive days. The first day’s events, in order, include the 100-meter hurdles, the high jump, shot put and the 200-meter run. The second day’s events, in order, include the long jump, the javelin throw and an 800-meter run.

The competition
In the 2004 Games, 34 women participated in the Olympic heptathlon.

Heptathlon rules
The rules for each event within the heptathlon are generally the same as for the individual events themselves, with a few exceptions. Most notably, runners are allowed two false starts instead of one, while competitors receive only three attempts in throwing and jumping events. Competitors cannot pass on any event. Failing to attempt any single event results in disqualification.

Points are awarded to each athlete according to her time or distance, not her placement in the field, according to pre-set formulas. Those formulas have been revised frequently over the years, making head-to-head comparisons of many heptathlon performances difficult. See the IAAF Scoring Tables for explanations and comparisons of the formulas employed over the past century.

If there is a tie in points after seven events, the victory goes to the competitor who out-scored her rival in more events. If that tiebreaker results in a draw (3-3 with one tie, for example), the victory goes to the heptathlete who scored the most points in any single event.

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