Skotheim Breaks European Heptathlon Record in Tallinn: A Historic Achievement in World Athletics

Sander Skotheim from Norway has made headlines by scoring 6484 points at the World Athletics Combined Events Tour Silver meeting in Tallinn, Estonia. This remarkable score breaks the European heptathlon record and places him fifth on the world all-time list.

On Sunday, Skotheim finished strong with a time of 2:37.85 in the 1000m. This added five points to the previous European record set by decathlete Kevin Mayer in 2017. The 22-year-old, who is also a world indoor heptathlon silver medallist, kicked off the competition on Saturday with a quick 60m sprint, finishing in 7.04 seconds. He then impressed the crowd with a personal best of 8.19m in the long jump.

Skotheim continued to shine, recording another personal best of 15.00m in the shot put and clearing 2.06m in the high jump. On the second day, he clocked 8.04 seconds in the 60m hurdles and jumped 5.25m in the pole vault. With only the 1000m left, he ran confidently and completed the event, securing the European record.

In another impressive feat, Saga Vanninen from Finland also had a standout performance in Tallinn. The world indoor pentathlon silver medallist set a new national record of 4843 points, making her the 16th best in the world. She achieved personal bests of 6.48m in the long jump and 2:11.70 in the 800m, significantly improving her previous pentathlon record of 4677 points.

The competition featured more record-breaking performances. Kate O’Connor improved her Irish record with a score of 4683, while Jana Koscak set a new Croatian record with 4478 points.