How are points given in a combined event?
B · Beginner · The events and the points · 2 of 2Every performance is turned into points using World Athletics' scoring tables. A faster time, a longer throw or a higher jump earns more points. Where an athlete finishes in an event does not matter. After each event the points for that event and the running total are announced, and athletes are placed in order of their total.
How it works
- The tables: scores come from "the current Combined Events Scoring Tables". The tables are a separate publication and were not read for this set.
- Performance, not place: the points depend only on the athlete's own time, height or distance.
- Announced as they go: the scores are announced "separate for each event and as a cumulative total" after each event is completed.
- The placings: "The athletes shall be placed in order according to the total number of points obtained."
- A mark between two lines of the table: the commentary says the score for the nearest lesser performance is used. Its example is a women's javelin throw of 45.82 m, which is scored as 45.78 m and earns 779 points.
- Younger age groups: the commentary says the same tables are used, even where the hurdles or implements are different.
- No mark: an athlete who starts an event and records no valid performance has nothing to look up in the tables, so they score nothing for it and carry on.
Tricky cases
Does winning the 100 m in a decathlon earn bonus points?
No. Points come from the time alone.
Two athletes run the same time in different heats. Do they get the same points?
Yes. The same performance always earns the same score.
An athlete's throw is 1 cm longer than a distance listed in the table. Which score do they get?
The score for the listed distance below it.
Can an athlete with no points in one event still win?
Yes. They are placed on their total, and nothing in the rule sets a minimum for any one event.
Why the rule exists
Seconds and metres cannot be added together. The tables turn each into a common unit so that a strong throw can be weighed against a slow run. Scoring the performance and not the place means an athlete is competing against the tables all the way through, whoever else is in the field.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 39.11 |
| Records | A total can be a record only if the conditions for each event and the wind limit are met | CR 31.18 |
| An athlete who abandons | Does not appear in the final placings | TR 39.10 |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rules 39.10 and 39.11 with the commentary printed under them. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).