On the way back home from the 2024 AAU National Junior Olympics today, I was listening to the BBC coverage of the Olympics in Paris. They had a great interview with Stacy Dragila (an American pole vaulter who was a pioneer in the growth of female vaulting). She was the first Olympic Gold medalist in pole vault (Sydney 2000, hard to believe it wasn't that long ago that people thought women shouldn't/couldn't do pole vault). She broke the world record in 1999 and held it for much of 1999 through 2003 (lost it for all of 6 days in 2001). She currently coaches and gives back to the sport she loves (maybe part of why I so enjoyed the interview). She is a fantastic person and ambassador for the sport of track and field!
For my female multi-eventers, I fully expect someday in the not so distant future that woman's heptathlon will be replaced by woman's decathlon. There is NO reason that female athletes can't compete and excel in 10 events like the men. We've already had one through the club (Lindsay Strutz) that was a decent pole vaulter and discus thrower in high school (2 of the 3 extra events). The time will come...