Tom Pappas (born September 6, 1976) is an American decathlete.
Pappas was born in Azalea, Oregon. He graduated from Glendale High School in 1994, and from the University of Tennessee in 1999.[1]
Pappas is a four-time U.S. champion (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006) and was the 1999 NCAA champion while attending the University of Tennessee. 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.[2]
He won the 2003 Jesse Owens Award from USATF, signifying he was Athlete of the Year.[3]
Pappas finished fifth at the 2000 Olympic decathlon.[4] 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.[5]
Pappas is the co-owner of Lane 5 Crossfit in Eugene, Oregon.[6]
| Tournament | Venue | Result | Extra | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | DNF | Decathlon | |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 5th | Decathlon | |
| 2001 | Brisbane, Australia | 3rd | Decathlon | ||
| 2003 | World Indoor Championships | Birmingham, England | 1st | Heptathlon | |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 1st | Decathlon | ||
| 2004 | Hypo-Meeting | Götzis, Austria | 2nd | Decathlon | |
| Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | DNF | Decathlon | ||
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, PR China | DNF | Decathlon |
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Points | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | align=right | 8,784 points | June 22, 2003 | align=center | 8,784 points | |
| 100 meters | align=right | 10.65 (-0.2 m/s) | June 6, 2003 | align=center | 940 points | |
| Long jump | align=right | (+1.4 m/s) | June 21, 2003 | align=center | 1,050 points | |
| Shot put | align=right | June 29, 2008 | align=center | 929 points | ||
| High jump | align=right | September 27, 2000 | align=center | 1,002 points | ||
| 400 meters | align=right | 47.58 | August 26, 2003 | align=center | 930 points | |
| 110 meters hurdles | align=right | 13.90 (+0.3 m/s) | August 6, 1997 | align=center | 987 points | |
| Discus throw | align=right | January 1, 2003 | align=center | 916 points | ||
| Pole vault | align=right | May 30, 2004 | align=center | 972 points | ||
| Javelin throw | align=right | June 9, 2000 | align=center | 837 points | ||
| 1500 meters | align=right | 4:35.14 | January 1, 1995 | align=center | 711 points | |
| Virtual Best Performance | 9,274 points |