Kyle Garland Claims Decathlon Victory at USATF Championships in Eugene

EUGENE, Ore. — Kyle Garland won the decathlon title at the 2025 Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships on Friday, scoring a personal best 8,869 points, and moving to No. 3 on the all-time American list. The former Bulldog champion from Philadelphia, Pa., bested his nearest competitor by 462 points.

Garland’s impressive performance included a season-best time of 13.78 seconds in the 110-meter hurdles and a personal record throw of 50.93 meters in the discus, helping him secure the title. With this achievement, Garland also ranks No. 10 on the world’s all-time list for combined events.

In his first five events, Garland surged ahead, earning 4,714 points by the completion of the high jump, where he cleared 2.14 meters. His closest rival had accumulated just 4,378 points at that stage. Garland’s record-setting day continued with a winning javelin throw of 65.52 meters and a finishing time of 4:54.50 in the decathlon’s final event, the 1500 meters.

“I want everyone to come on and bring their best game,” Garland said. “Because I know I’m coming with mine, too. The world better watch out because the Freight Train’s coming,” he added, referring to his nickname.

Competing alongside Garland, former Georgia champion Lynna Irby-Jackson secured fifth place in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 50.59 seconds, while a current Lady Bulldog finished in eighth with 50.77 seconds. However, assistant coach missed the cutoff with a time of 51.03 seconds.

The USATF Championships set the stage for athletes looking to represent Team USA at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, scheduled for September 13-21. Georgia’s track and field director has already been appointed as the head coach for the women’s team.