Estonian decathlon talent crowned US national college champion second year straight
Marcel Uibo, who is fast becoming Estonia's top decathlete, defended his title in NCAA Championships in the US with a personal best of 8,356 points. This makes Uibo only the second decathlete to win the championships twice in a row.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) regulates athletes of 1,281 and helps more than 450,000 student-athletes compete in college sports each year.
NCAA Division I 2015 Track and Field Championships are held at Eugene, Oregon, from June 10-13.
Uibo competed for his alma mater the University of Georgia and topped his previous best by 30 points, collecting over 100 points more than Pau Tonnesen (Arizona, 8,247) and nearly 500 more than Dakotah Keys (Oregon).
Uibo improved his personal bests in javelin (was 59.63 meters, now 62.25) and repeated his best result in pole vault (5.20 meters).
He is now sixth in world rankings. The score of 8,356 points is also the second best ever achieved in US college championships and a new University of Georgia record.
Uibo first broke the 8,000 point mark in 2013, improving on his personal best by a whopping 675 points.
The current world record by Ashton Eaton, 9,039 points, was achieved in the very same arena in Eugene in 2012. Estonian national record – 8,815 points – belongs to Olympic champion Erki Nool. Uibo holds the fifth place in Estonia's all-time decathlon list.
Editor: M. Oll