The Norwegian athlete Sander Skotheim achieved a significant milestone on Sunday by breaking the European record in the Heptathlon event at the ATALINN combined meeting. He secured a total of 6,484 points, surpassing the previous record held by Frenchman Kevin Mayer since 2017 by five points. Mayer’s record stood at 6,479 points.
To break the record, Skotheim needed to complete the 1,000-meter event in under 2:38.25. He successfully achieved this by finishing the race in 2:33.23, which was enough to beat Mayer’s record by five points. This impressive feat was accomplished at the age of 22.
Skotheim’s performance was consistent throughout the various events that make up the Heptathlon. He started with a time of 7.04 in the 60 meters and then jumped 8.19 meters in the long jump, just two centimeters shy of the Norwegian outdoor record of 8.21 meters. In the shot put, he improved his personal best by 42 centimeters with a throw of 15 meters. Skotheim cleared 5.25 meters in the pole vault and jumped 2.06 meters in the high jump. He completed the 60 meters hurdles in 8.04 and, as mentioned earlier, finished the 1,000 meters in 2:33.23, which ultimately led to him breaking the continental record.
With this achievement, Skotheim has also secured the fifth position in the historical ranking of the Heptathlon event. The top spot in this ranking is held by American athlete Ashton Eaton, who set the world record in 2012 with an impressive 6,645 points.
