Manhattan, Kansas, USA - The line-ups for the men’s Decathlon and women’s Heptathlon in the Nike Combined Events Challenge between the United States and Germany at the R.V. Christian Track Complex on the weekend of Saturday 5 and Sunday 6 August have been confirmed.

DECATHLON

Highlighting the United States’ Decathlon roster is 2005 World champion and 2004 Olympic silver medallist, Bryan Clay. Joining Clay are Chris Boyles, Joe Cebulski, Travis Geopfert, Ryan Olkowski, Chris Randolph and Will Thomas.

The German team will be represented by Arthur Abele, Lars Albert, Marian Geisler, Stefan Hommell, Jacob Minah, Norman Muller and Johannes Schwuchow. 

Clay, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, won last year’s US title with 8506 points, and later capped a marvellous year by winning the World Championships in Helsinki, Finland, with a 2005 season-high of 8732 points. The 2002 graduate of Azusa Pacific continued his winning streak to three at the start of the 2006 season with a win at Götzis with 8677 points, but lucked out at this year’s US championships producing no mark in the Pole Vault.

The German delegation is led by 19-year-old Arthur Abele and 24-year-old Lars Albert. Abele has a career-high of 8012 points which he set on 22 May this year in Filderstadt, Germany, while Albert has a career best of 7920 points when coming tenth in Götzis last year, and also produced 7878 points this year at the same meeting for his current season’s best.

HEPTATHLON

In the women’s Heptathlon, the United States will be represented by Tacita Bass, Danielle McNaney, Lela Nelson and Reidun Wallin. The German delegation is Marlen Buder, Julia Machtig, Annelie Schrader and Maren Schwerdtner.

The strongest of the hosts’ line-up is Lela Nelson, 23, who finished fourth at the 2006 US Championships with a personal best of 5903 points.

Germany’s top representative is 20-year-old Julia Machtig who has a personal and season’s best of 6066 points from when coming seventh in Ratingen, Germany on 25 June.

Randy Peterson for the IAAF