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

Derived Forms

• heptathlete
  noun

Etymology

Origin of heptathlon

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

Example Sentences

Katarina Johnson-Thompson shared bronze in a dramatic heptathlon finale on Saturday.

From BBC • Sep. 21, 2025

It was in the Japanese capital four years ago, in a soulless stadium without spectators amid the coronavirus pandemic, that Johnson-Thompson's Olympic heptathlon hopes were shattered by injury during the 200m.

From BBC • Sep. 18, 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

Thiam became the youngest Olympic heptathlon gold medallist in history with her first triumph aged 21 and has now won 10 of the 11 international titles she has contested since that breakout triumph.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024

But it was Thiam - the heptathlon great of her generation - who added Paris gold to Olympic triumphs in Rio and Tokyo by finishing in 2:10.62 - with about two seconds to spare.

From BBC • Aug. 9, 2024