He Did It Again! Lindon Victor Betters Collegiate Decathlon Record

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Prior to the start of the 2017 outdoor track & field season, the collegiate decathlon record had been broken a total of three times in the previous 31 years.

If Lindon Victor keeps going at his current pace, he’ll match that number in four weeks at the 2017 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

That’s because whenever Victor competes in the decathlon, the collegiate record falls as his feet.

Victor broke Trey Hardee’s 11-year-old standard back in March at the Texas Relays and one-upped himself Friday at the 2017 SEC Outdoor Track & Field Championships. The Texas A&M senior totaled 8539 points at the Sheila and Morris Cregger Track Complex to better his own personal best of 8472.

To say Victor had an incredible second day would be an understatement. It was historic.

Victor amassed 4174 points on Friday to break the previous all-time high of 4145 set by Arizona’s Jake Arnold in 2007.

There was reason to doubt that Victor would challenge his own record after a lackluster first day that saw him put up 4365 points, a far cry from the Day 1 total of 4516 at the Texas Relays.

Victor put all of those doubters to rest when he PR’d in both the 110 hurdles (14.45) and discus throw (55.22m/181-2) to close the gap.

Then he swung ahead with a clutch performance in the pole vault, an area in which he struggled at the Texas Relays. Victor cleared 4.60m (15-1) and 4.70m (15-5) on his third and final attempts at each height to surge ahead of his record pace (7081 compared to 7008).

A heave of 68.97m (226-3) in the javelin throw left him on the precipice of history. All Victor had to do was run a time of 5:07.45 in the 1500 to break his old record by one point (8473).

Victor split 54.59 for the first 300 meters, 2:14.35 at 700 meters, 3:40.02 at 1100 meters and crossed the finish line in 4:55.91 to give him 584 points and a total of 8539 for the decathlon.