AUSTRALIAN OLYMPIAN CAMRYN NEWTON-SMITH CROWNED "WORLD'S GREATEST ATHLETE" IN WOMEN'S DECATHLON WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS

HISTORIC 10-EVENT TRACK AND FIELD COMPETITION ORGANIZED BY WORLDS GREATEST ATHLETE, INC. TOOK PLACE AUGUST 8-9, BREAKING RECORDS AND BARRIERS

OBERLIN, Ohio, Aug. 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Olympian Camryn Newton-Smith of Australia claimed the gold and the title of "World's Greatest Athlete" at the 2026 Women's Decathlon World Championships presented by Amy Park and Paul Sieben. With a final score of 7,900 points, Newton-Smith set a national record for Australia and sits in 4th place on the all-time world list in her decathlon debut. France's Noémie Desailly and the Netherland's Nikki Boon rounded out the podium taking silver and bronze with 7,805 and 7,714 points, respectively.

The Women's Decathlon World Championships is a historic moment for gender equity in athletics. Despite competing in all the individual track and field events, women are still barred from participating in the decathlon, an all-around competition of ten running, jumping and throwing events, at the international level. This athlete-led World Championship event, now in its third year, is working to change that. The competition was held at the Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio on August 8th and 9th and sponsored by Skyview Ventures, Hettas, MAVRX, Toga, Uncontainable, Play Gap, and Vault Athletics.

"Winning the Decathlon means so much more than a medal," says Newton-Smith. "It's a statement that women belong in the decathlon, that we deserve the opportunity to test ourselves across ten events. This movement is about creating more opportunities for women to compete and dream bigger and I hope moving forward we see more opportunities for women decathlon."

"Women deserve the opportunity to compete in the Olympic Decathlon," says Lauren Kuntz, event organizer, American decathlete, and founder of World's Greatest Athlete, Inc, a non-profit dedicated to gender equity in sports. "As athletes, we're done waiting for permission. We're building our own playing field as we push for a women's decathlon in the 2032 Olympics."

Full event results can be found here.

About World's Greatest Athlete, Inc.:

World's Greatest Athlete, Inc. is a women-led non-profit organization, founded in 2023, to create opportunities for female athletes. Our work aims to break barriers, create a more equal sporting environment, and inspire the next generation of athletes, activists, and leaders.

SOURCE World's Greatest Athlete, Inc.