Tom Pappas

Who is Tom Pappas?

Tom Pappas is an American track & field decathlete.

Pappas won the gold medal at the 2003 World Championships held outside Paris, France, and was rated number 1 in the world that year by Track & Field News. He is a four-time US champion and was the 1999 NCAA champion while attending the University of Tennessee. He finished fifth at the 2000 Olympic decathlon, and competed in but did not finish the decathlon due to a foot injury at the 2004 Olympic Games. His personal best in the decathlon is 8,784 points while winning the 2003 US Championships held at Stanford University, CA.

He won the 2003 Jesse Owens Award from USATF, signifying he was Athlete of the Year.

Tom Pappas is currently an assistant track & field coach at Kansas State University for jumps and combined events.

He placed 3rd at the United States Olympic Trials in the Decathlon in Eugene, Oregon in July, 2008 to qualify for the Beijing Olympics in August.

Pappas also was unable to complete the decathlon in Beijing due to injury in 2008.