The annual Women’s Decathlon World Championships are held at the Spire Academy in Geneva, Ohio. Every year, around 30 women compete for the title of ‘World’s Greatest Athlete’ in this athletic event.
In this edition of Know Ohio, Ygal Kaufman takes us through the 2025 Women’s Decathlon World Championships for an in-depth look at the competition and the future of the sport.
A decathlon is an athletic competition that combines 10 different track and field events split across two days. Day one features the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, and the 400-meter run. Day two finishes off with the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and finally the 1,500-meter run.
The organization that runs this competition is the Women’s Decathlon World Championships. Their main purpose is stated on their website: “This event is more than a competition: it's about fostering gender equality for the next generation of female multi-event athletes. It’s about giving young girls and women the opportunity to be named the ‘World’s Greatest Athlete’,”.
Currently, the summer Olympics features a men’s decathlon, but not a women’s decathlon. These dedicated athletes want this to change.
Lauren Kuntz, organizer of the Women’s Decathlon World Championships, says, “These women are incredible athletes. They have incredible stories… It's high time the powers in world athletics recognize that and let us in the actual Olympic games,”.