How heptathlon scoring works
The heptathlon is the women’s combined event: seven events over two days. As in the decathlon, each mark is converted into points with the World Athletics scoring formulas, then the points are added up.
The formulas
- Running events: points = A × (B − T)^C, with T in seconds.
- Jumps: points = A × (M − B)^C, with M in centimeters.
- Throws: same formula with M in meters.
Each result is rounded down to a whole number of points.
| Event | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m hurdles | 9.23076 | 26.7 | 1.835 |
| High jump | 1.84523 | 75 | 1.348 |
| Shot put | 56.0211 | 1.5 | 1.05 |
| 200 m | 4.99087 | 42.5 | 1.81 |
| Long jump | 0.188807 | 210 | 1.41 |
| Javelin | 15.9803 | 3.8 | 1.04 |
| 800 m | 0.11193 | 254 | 1.88 |
Example
The defaults are Jackie Joyner-Kersee’s world record from the 1988 Seoul Olympics: 12.69 in the hurdles (1,172 points), 1.86 m in the high jump (1,054), 15.80 m in the shot (915), 22.56 in the 200 m (1,123), 7.27 m in the long jump (1,264), 45.66 m in the javelin (776) and 2:08.51 in the 800 m (987), a total of 7,291 points that still stands.
Benchmarks
| Total | Level |
|---|---|
| 6,700 and more | Olympic or world medal contender |
| 6,200 | International |
| 5,500 | National |
| 4,500 to 5,000 | Good club or college athlete |
Reading your score
- The long jump and hurdles are high-yield events: Joyner-Kersee’s 7.27 m alone was worth more than 1,260 points.
- Day one usually decides the competition: four events against three on day two.
- Compare your per-event points to spot weaknesses; a 50-point gap in the javelin may be easier to close than in the 200 m.
The indoor pentathlon uses the same formulas for the high jump, shot put, long jump and 800 m; its 60 m hurdles have their own coefficients.