Max Vollmer became the fourth Oregon man to win three conference decathlon titles, joining Craig Brigham, Ashton Eaton and Dakotah Keys. Photo by Chloe Montague
A raucous roar permeated throughout the decathlon cheering section.
It came from Max Vollmer.
He had just thrown his personal best in the javelin, 212 feet, 8 inches, a throw that put him in a comfortable position to win the decathlon with only the 1,500-meter race remaining.
As Vollmer stepped off the runway, his teammate Jett Kinder greeted him with an aggressive embrace. The two Ducks were one event away from placing first and second in the decathlon — a result that had seemed in doubt less than five hours previously.
While warming up for the 110-meter hurdles — the sixth leg of the decathlon and the first one on Saturday — Vollmer felt a shooting pain in his right hamstring that traveled into his lower back.
With NCAA coming up in three weeks, his coach, Seth Henson, asked if he wanted to bow out.
“I told him, ‘No, I’m not giving up. I’ve made it so far,’” Vollmer said. “I’m going to win this championship if it takes the death out of me.”
Due to the pain, Vollmer picked his spots. He jogged through the 1,500 and changed his approach in the pole vault, leading to a third-place finish.
His performances on Friday, winning the 100, 400 and shot put, helped him build a strong lead. Then, his personal best in the javelin essentially sealed the deal.
Vollmer won his third straight Pac-12 championship in the decathlon with 7,961 total points. As he stepped off the podium, Kinder, who finished second with 7,124 points, greeted him with another hug.
“There were times during this decathlon where I wasn’t really sure that I could finish,” Vollmer said. “I can leave the legacy to my teammates, and they pushed me through, today.”
Kinder had left the javelin runway motioning for the crowd to get louder after throwing season-best 205-11. Vollmer followed by feeding off his teammate’s energy.
“They work hard and they train well together,” Henson said. “It’s just the most awesome group of kids I could ever ask for.”
