SPORTS WRITER

Sam Cowan

Franklin County High School trackster Brandon Walker competed in the Class AAA state decathlon Wednesday and Thursday at Hardin Valley Academy.

Walker completed seven of the decathlon’s 10 events before withdrawing Thursday due to a back injury sustained during the pole vault, according to FCHS track coach Zack Norwood.

Decathlons are scored according to tables from the World Athletics governing body with each time or measurement per event assigned a point value from 1 to 1,400 based on relative athletic performance.

Five events were held each day with the 100-meter dash, pole vault, discus throw, triple jump and 400-meter dash taking place on Wednesday while Thursday’s agenda included the 110-meter hurdles, long jump, shot put, high jump and 1,500-meter run.

Walker ended the competition with 3,550 points for an average of 507 points gained per event. Knoxville Halls’ Brody Foster finished first overall in the Class AAA decathlon with 7,506 total points.

Walker opened the decathlon with his best overall score as he placed seventh out of 11 competitors in the 100-meter dash with a time of 11.46 seconds for 761 points.

His best overall placement came in the 110-meter hurdles as he finished fifth with a time of 16.27 seconds to score 703 points.

Walker scored 442 points in the triple jump as he placed seventh for the event with a distance of 11.85 meters.

He also finished ninth in the long jump before withdrawing as he ended the event with a distance of 5.49 meters to score 479 points.

Walker recorded two 10^th-place finishes for the decathlon as his time of 54.68 seconds in the 400 gave him 612 points, and he scored 264 points in the pole vault with a height of 2.6 meters.

Walker’s overall placements were rounded out by an 11^th-place performance in the discus throw as his top distance of 20.9 meters gave him 289 points for the event.

Walker and other qualified members of the FCHS boys and girls track and field teams will next compete Thursday in the Class AAA state meet at the University of Tennessee. The meet is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. EDT.