UK Track & Field: Tim Duckworth Records 264-Point Decathlon Personal Best

Kentucky track and field junior Tim Duckworth finished with a lifetime personal best decathlon score: 7973 to place second at the Bulldog Decathlon on Sunday.

The score moved him to No. 7 on the United Kingdom all-time list, not to be confused with the University of Kentucky all-time list, per IAAF web editor Jon Mulkeen. Duckworth shattered his Kentucky school record.

If his indoor season wasn’t enough indication of his rapid improvement this season, the 264 points by which he bettered his prior decathlon personal best added compelling evidence.

Also per Mulkeen, the only British man to produce a score better than Duckworth at such an age was two-time Olympic Decathlon Champion and former world-record holder Daley Thompson.

Host Georgia’s NCAA indoor heptathlon Champion Devon Williams won with a PB score of 8345, making him the No. 6 performer in collegiate history.

Duckworth’s score is the third best in the NCAA this season. Williams’ score ranks second in the nation this year, only to Texas A&M’s Lindon Victor’s collegiate record 8472.

Decathlon by event
Day Two
110m hurdles
Duckworth began day two by producing a 110m hurdles time .02 faster than his prior wind-legal PB: 14.64 to score 894. Devon Williams ran 13.83 to score 997. So, after Duckworth and Williams went back and forth with the lead much of day one, Williams retook the lead, by 79 to begin Sunday. He never surrendered his advantage from there.

Discus
Duckworth scored 679 points with a discus mark of 133’6″/40.71m. Williams increased his lead to 193 after seven events.

Pole Vault
Duckworth narrowed Williams’ advantage to 76 points after the pole vault. He scored 901 with a best clearance at 16’3.5″/4.97m. Duckworth has cleared as high as 17’3”/5.26m in the indoor heptathlon, as high as 16’8.75”/5.10m outdoors in one-off competition, and 16’6.75”/5.05m in a decathlon.

Javelin
Duckworth threw 181’11″/55.45m to score 670 points in the javelin. He had 7499 through with just one event remaining, 145 back of the lead.

1,500m
Completing 10 events in two days for the first time this year, Duckworth ran 5:15.40 for 474 points in the 1,500m.

Day One
He recorded his decathlon best mark in all five events on Saturday. He finished 319 points better than his prior decathlon day-one personal best.

The highlight was one of the better collegiate decathlon long jumps in recent memory. In fact, it was the farthest long jump of any kind in Kentucky school history: 25’10”/7.87m (+0.0). That mark was 6.75 inches better than Derrick Locke’s previous outdoor school record. The mark was 2.75 inches/seven centimeters better than his prior absolute PR (the indoor school record), which he recorded at the SEC Indoor Championships in February, and more than nine inches better than his prior outdoor best.

100m
He began the day by lowering his 100m PB by 0.13 seconds as he edged Williams 10.61-10.72 (+0.3) to win the opening event. He scored 947 points.

Long Jump
He then increased his lead by winning event No. 2 with the 18th best long jump in the world this season. That mark ranks fourth on the NCAA descending order long jump list entering the weekend. He scored a head-turning 1027 points.

Shot Put
Duckworth placed 10th in the shot put with his best mark in a decathlon: 40’2.25”/12.25m to score 622.

High Jump
Duckworth usually makes most of his ground in the decathlon in the jumps and he scored as much in the high jump as he ever has in a decathlon: 906 points. He tied his best clearance in a decathlon: 6’11”/2.11m, the second best of the meet.

400m
Duckworth placed third overall, winning his heat, in the 400m. His time of 49.18 was a personal best by more than 1.5 seconds to score 853 points. Williams was faster as runner-up in 48.14 (PB, 902pts).

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Kentucky will compete at the Texas Invitational in Austin next weekend.

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The most up-to-date coverage of the UK track and field program is available via @KentuckyTrack handles on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

‑ GO CATS –
Jake Most