Tom Pappas (born September 6, 1976) is a retired American decathlete.
Early life Pappas was born in Azalea, Oregon. He graduated from Glendale High School in 1994, and from the University of Tennessee in 1999.
Career Pappas is a four-time U.S. champion (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006) and was the 1999 NCAA champion while attending the University of Tennessee. Before his time at Tennessee, Pappas also competed in the Northwest Athletic Conference for the Lane Titans track and field team. He won the gold medal at the 2003 World Championships and was rated number 1 in the world that year by Track & Field News. His personal best in the decathlon is 8,784 points while winning the 2003 US Championships held at Stanford University.
He won the 2003 Jesse Owens Award from USATF, an award given to the Athlete of the Year.
Pappas finished fifth at the 2000 Olympic decathlon. He placed third in the decathlon at the 2008 United States Olympic trials (track and field) in Eugene, Oregon, but was unable to complete the decathlon in Beijing due to a plantar fasciitis injury.
Post-career Pappas is the co-owner of Lane 5 Crossfit in Eugene, Oregon.
Achievements YearTournamentVenueResultEvent1999World ChampionshipsSevilleDNFDecathlon2000Olympic GamesSydney5thDecathlon2001Goodwill Games Brisbane 3rdDecathlon2003World Indoor ChampionshipsBirmingham 1stHeptathlonWorld ChampionshipsParis 1stDecathlon2004Hypo-MeetingGötzis 2ndDecathlonOlympic GamesAthensDNFDecathlon2008Olympic GamesBeijingDNFDecathlon
Personal bests Outdoor +Individual events Event Performance Location Date Long jump Indianapolis July 7, 2000 High jump Knoxville April 10, 2004 100 meters 10.5 Indianapolis July 7, 2000 10.63 Knoxville April 25, 2004 10.90 Columbia April 13, 2006 400 meters 48.22 Knoxville May 1, 1999 110 meters hurdles 13.7 Indianapolis July 7, 2000 13.94 Athens, GA May 15, 1999 Pole vault Indianapolis July 7, 2000 Discus throw El Paso April 12, 2008 Javelin throw Knoxville April 15, 2000
+Combined events Event Performance Location Date Score Decathlon Palo Alto June 22, 2003 8,784 points 100 meters 10.65 Götzis May 31, 2003 940 points Long jump Palo Alto June 21, 2003 1,050 points Shot put Eugene June 29, 2008 929 points High jump Sydney September 27, 2000 1,002 points 400 meters 47.58 Saint-Denis August 26, 2003 930 points 110 meters hurdles 13.90 Götzis May 30, 2004 987 points Discus throw Marburg August 9, 2009 903 points Pole vault Eugene June 30, 2008 972 points Javelin throw Saint-Denis August 27, 2003 827 points 1500 meters 4:44.31 Saint-Denis August 27, 2003 653 points Virtual Best Performance 9,193 points
Indoor +Individual events Event Performance Location Date 800 meters 2:02.94 Manhattan, KS February 15, 2007 Mile 5:03.53 New Haven January 13, 2007 55 meters hurdles 7.27 Knoxville February 21, 2003 60 meters hurdles 7.92 Blacksburg January 16, 1999 Long jump Gainesville February 20, 1999 High jump Blacksburg February 6, 1999 Pole vault Lexington February 7, 2003 Shot put Manhattan, KS January 18, 2008
+Combined events Event Performance Location Date Score Heptathlon Birmingham March 15–16, 2003 6,361 points 60 meters 6.89 Birmingham March 15, 2003 922 points Long jump Birmingham March 15, 2003 950 points Shot put Birmingham March 15, 2003 865 points High jump Athens, GA March 3, 2000 1,002 points 60 meters hurdles 7.80 Birmingham March 16, 2003 1,033 points Pole vault Chapel Hill March 2, 2002 920 points 1000 meters 2:49.32 Chapel Hill March 7, 2004 773 points Virtual Best Performance 6,465 points
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