Ehammer breaks decathlon long jump world record with 8.51m in Götzis
Simon Ehammer and Sofie Dokter hold the overnight leads after the opening day of the 51st edition of the Hypo Meeting in Götzis, the Austrian stop of the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Gold. Ehammer shattered his own decathlon long jump world best with an 8.51m leap and amassed an impressive 4,732 points to top the standings after five events.
Dokter established a commanding advantage in the women’s heptathlon with 3,969 points and looks well positioned to claim her first victory in Götzis.
Men’s decathlon
Canada’s Damian Warner, an eight-time winner in Götzis, marked his return by recording the fastest 100m time of the day in 10.28. World indoor champion and record holder Simon Ehammer opened with a strong 10.41, edging American Hakim McMorris by 0.01 seconds.
Canada’s Pierce LePage, the 2023 world champion and former Götzis winner, captured the third heat in a season’s best 10.54, narrowly defeating Harrison Williams of the United States, who was credited with the same time.
Tomas Järvinen of Czechia, the 2024 World U20 champion in Lima, won the second heat in a personal best of 10.61, while Japanese record holder Yuma Maruyama also achieved a PB of 10.72.
Ehammer then produced a historic performance in the long jump, improving his own world decathlon best and Swiss record by six centimetres to 8.51m on his second attempt after fouling in the opening round. The jump earned him a remarkable 1,192 points in a single event. He had previously set the world best of 8.45m in 2022. The mark also surpassed Olympic champion Miltiadis Tentoglou’s outright world-leading jump for 2026 by five centimetres. World champion Leo Neugebauer finished second with a season’s best 7.97m, while Warner reached 7.73m. Ehammer moved into the overall lead with 2,190 points, ahead of Warner (2,020) and Neugebauer (1,968).
Neugebauer responded by winning the shot put with 16.71m on his third attempt. France’s Makenson Gletty, European bronze medallist in Rome 2024, was the only other athlete beyond 16 metres with 16.17m. Estonia’s Rasmus Roosleht placed third with 15.96m, while compatriot Risto Lillemets achieved a PB of 15.81m.
Ehammer recorded a season’s best of 15.15m, missing his personal best by just 16 centimetres, and maintained his lead with 2,989 points. It was the highest three-event score of his career. Neugebauer remained second on 2,863 points, followed by Warner on 2,818. McMorris ranked fourth with 2,682 points, narrowly ahead of LePage on 2,676.
Järvinen equalled his season’s best of 2.09m on his first attempt to win the high jump. Neugebauer cleared 2.06m, also a season’s best, while Ehammer improved his own season’s mark to 2.03m. After four disciplines, Ehammer led with 3,820 points, ahead of Neugebauer (3,722), Warner (3,621), McMorris (3,513) and LePage (3,452).
Warner and Neugebauer both dipped below 48 seconds in the 400m, clocking season’s bests of 47.77 and 47.99 respectively in the fourth race. Harrison Williams posted the fastest time overall with 46.82, ahead of McMorris (47.09) and Ehammer (47.33).
Ehammer scored 142 points more than he had after the first day of his Swiss record performance of 8,532 points in Götzis last year. No decathlete in history has accumulated as many points after the opening day as Ehammer has this year in Götzis.
The Swiss star won the world indoor heptathlon title in Nanjing earlier this year, breaking Ashton Eaton’s world record with 6,558 points.
“I feel better than ever before. This is the best first day of my career. The goal was to score more points than last year after the first day. The result in the long jump means a lot to me. It was almost building up to something. It is incredibly beautiful that it actually worked out in this place, which means so much to me. It is simply indescribable. I knew that I was in good shape and that the track at the Mösle Stadium is fast. But for it to go to 8.51 metres right on the second attempt tops everything. To beat my own 2022 record here once again is an absolute dream. Taking the lead after the first day was the big goal. The number of points gives an enormous amount of self-confidence. But a decathlon is only decided on the second day. There are still tough disciplines ahead where I must remain fully focused,” said Ehammer.
Women’s heptathlon
World bronze medallist Taliyah Brooks produced the fastest time in the 100m hurdles, her specialist discipline, with 12.71. Switzerland’s Annik Kälin, silver medallist in the long jump at both the European and World Indoor Championships in 2025, also broke 13 seconds with 12.91.
World indoor pentathlon champion Sofie Dokter won the third heat in a personal best of 13.27. Germany’s Vanessa Grimm finished second in a lifetime best of 13.39, ahead of Emma Kaul (13.53).
Olympic bronze medallist Emma Oosterwegel of the Netherlands won the fourth heat in a PB of 13.21, finishing ahead of Belgium’s two-time world indoor champion Noor Vidts (13.24).
Sophie Weißenberg clocked a PB of 13.40 in her comeback competition after a serious Achilles tendon injury.
New Zealand’s Maddie Wilson cleared 1.83m on her second attempt to win the high jump on countback from Erika Warff. Dokter and Germany’s Sandrina Sprengel shared third place with 1.80m. Great Britain’s Jade O’Dowda finished fourth with 1.77m on countback.
Brooks maintained her lead in the overall standings after clearing 1.77m on her second attempt, reaching 2,085 points. O’Dowda followed with 2,065, ahead of Dokter (2,062), Warff (2,047) and Kälin (2,041).
Grimm won the shot put with 15.41m to climb to second overall on 2,895 points. Dokter improved her PB to 14.70m and moved into first place with 2,903 points. Brooks also produced a PB of 14.17m to sit third on 2,890. Oosterwegel ranked fourth with 2,832, followed by Sprengel on 2,822.
Oosterwegel improved her PB to 23.65 in the fourth heat of the 200m. Italian record holder Sveva Gerevini won the fifth heat in a season’s best 23.73, ahead of Brooks (24.23) and Vidts (24.45).
Dokter recorded the fastest time of the day with a lifetime best of 23.13 in the sixth heat. Weißenberg and Kälin also improved their personal bests to 23.25 and 23.33 respectively.
At the end of the first day, Dokter led the standings with 3,969 points, followed by Kälin (3,859) and Brooks (3,849). Grimm and Oosterwegel shared fourth place with 3,847 points.
Dokter won the world indoor pentathlon title in Nanjing with the Dutch record of 4,888 points, earned European indoor silver in Apeldoorn in front of her home crowd, and claimed world indoor bronze in Glasgow 2024. She was named Rookie of the Meeting in Götzis in 2022 after surpassing 6,000 points for the first time and finished runner-up to Anna Hall with a PB of 6,576 points at last year’s edition.
“Everything was OK. I am happy with my PBs in the 200m and the 100m hurdles. I am a bit disappointed with the high jump. It’s hot, but it’s better than rain and cold. Götzis is always a magical place. The crowd pushes me beyond my limits in every discipline. Feeling the warmth of the people from the first day makes everything easier, even when fatigue starts to set in,” said Dokter.
