Décastar and the legacy of Talence’s track
Polytan provides Rekortan track upgrade for one of France’s most historic venues
In the world of athletics, few places carry the same mystique for combined-event athletes as Talence, France. Home to the Décastar meeting since 1976, the venue has witnessed some of the most defining moments in decathlon and heptathlon history. For nearly five decades, this corner of southwest France has become synonymous with endurance, precision, and world records. Now with a world class Rekortan track in play, the venue continues its legacy of excellence for the next generation of athletes.
Decastar’s record-shattering history
The Décastar is one of the most prestigious events on the World Athletics Combined Events Tour. Year after year, it attracts decathletes and heptathletes, testing the physical and mental limits of elite athletes. And twice in history, those limits have been shattered on Talence’s track.
Dan O’Brien (USA) and Kevin Mayer (FRA) set new world records
In 1992, American legend Dan O’Brien set a new decathlon world record at the Décastar meet scoring 8891 points. Frenchman Kevin Mayer, returned to the same venue in 2018 to etch his name in history by surpassing Ashton Eaton (USA) by 81 points to earn a new world record score of 9126.
Kevin Mayer’s remarkable performance, a victory and WR which still stands today, transformed him into a national hero and cemented Talence as a sacred ground for the sport.
Mayer’s complete set of marks were as follows — incredibly, he scored exactly the same number of points on each day:
| Day 1 Results (4563 points) | |
|---|---|
| Event | Performance |
| 100 m | 10.55 (PB) |
| Long jump | 7.80m (PB) |
| Shot put | 16.00m |
| High jump | 2.05m |
| 400 m | 48.42 seconds |
| Day 2 Results (4563 points) | |
|---|---|
| Event | Performance |
| 110 m hurdles | 13.75 seconds |
| Discus | 50.54m |
| Pole vault | 5.45m |
| Javelin | 71.90m (PB) |
| 1500 m | 4:36.11 |
“Kevin Mayer’s remarkable performance, a victory and WR which still stands today, transformed him into a national hero and cemented Talence as a sacred ground for the sport.”
Barbora Špotáková (CZE) sets a new standard for javelin
Barbora Špotáková’s (CZE) 60.90m javelin throw in 2012 remains a highlight of Decaster’s rich history. Widely regarded as the greatest female javelin thrower of all time, Špotáková is the current WR holder, a multiple world and Olympic champion, and a former heptathlete.
Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam raises the bar for combined-events performances
At Décastar in 2019, Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam delivered an exceptional performance with a 2.02m high jump, one of the best marks ever achieved in a heptathlon competition. The Olympic and world champion’s showing further earned Décastar’s reputation as a stage for historic combined-events performances.
A track reimagined for the next generation
Talence’s Stade Pierre-Paul Bernard was transformed in 2022 by Polytan France who installed a Rekortan PUR track, one of the world’s most advanced track surfaces designed for speed and layered for optimized energy return.
The project expanded the main oval from six to eight lanes, enhancing its capacity for international events. Polytan also installed six 80m warm-up lanes, a dedicated throwing area, and three jumping zones for long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault. Together, these upgrades elevated the stadium to a Paris 2024 Olympic Preparation Center, ensuring that top athletes would train on a surface built to meet the highest standards of global competition. In 2023 Polytan France also installed a Rekortan PUR indoor track to further enhance this amazing facility.
“The venue now features Rekortan PUR, one of the world’s most advanced track surfaces designed for speed and layered for optimized energy return.”
The stage is set for a new wave of decathlete pioneers
From Mayer’s historic 9126 points to O’Brien’s 1992 triumph, Talence has long been a theatre of record-breaking performances. But it’s also been a stage for pioneers in women’s combined events. In 2004, the meet hosted a women’s decathlon, a rare occurrence in world athletics, where France’s Marie Collonvillé set a world record.
A new generation of decathletes is rising fast. Norway’s Markus Rooth (Paris 2024 Olympic gold medalist, 8796 points), Sander Stokheim (2025 world leader, 8909 points), and Germany’s Leo Neugebauer (Paris 2024 silver, 8961 points) are all under 26 years old — younger than Mayer and Eaton were when they broke the 9000-point barrier. Many believe one of them could soon push the mythical boundary even higher and as the most certified World Athletics track in the world, Rekortan is ready for them in Talence.