heptathlon

American  

[hep-tath-luhn, ‑lon] / hɛpˈtæθ lən, ‑lɒn /

noun

1. an athletic contest for women comprising seven different track-and-field events and won by the contestant amassing the highest total score.

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heptathlon British  

/ hɛpˈtæθlɒn /

noun

1. an athletic contest for women in which each athlete competes in seven different events

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Other Word Forms

• heptathlete
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heptathlon

First recorded in 1985–90; hept- ( def. ) + (dec)athlon

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heptathlon

Katerina Johnson-Thompson is chasing her third Commonwealth heptathlon title in a row and Adam Ramsay-Peaty returns to the same pool in which he won two golds in 2014.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

She won multiple gold medals from the Olympics and world championships in the heptathlon and long jump while also setting world records.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2026

Great Britain's Katarina Johnson-Thompson captured an emotional fourth global heptathlon medal in unprecedented circumstances as she shared world bronze with American Taliyah Brooks in a dramatic concluding 800m in Tokyo.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2025

Katarina Johnson-Thompson was eighth in the women's long jump with a best leap of 6.48m as she continues to build towards defending her world heptathlon title later this year.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025

It was Dickenson's voice that accompanied Jessica Ennis-Hill's heptathlon gold at London 2012, while his last BBC commentary was when Lizzy Yarnold won her skeleton gold at Sochi 2014.

From BBC ● Nov. 27, 2024