Emory student Nikki Boon earns bronze at Women’s Decathlon World Championships
August 11, 2026
Emory graduate student Nikki Boon returned to the Women’s Decathlon World Championships last weekend to defend her title as the “World’s Greatest Athlete.” Competing for the Netherlands, her homeland, Boon earned bronze. Photo courtesy of Emory Athletic Communications.
Emory PhD student Nikki Boon earned bronze at the 2026 Women’s Decathlon World Championships on Aug. 8-9 at Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio. The Dronten, Netherlands, native is pursuing a PhD in neuroscience in Emory’s James T. Laney School of Graduate Studies.
The decathlon’s 10 events are split across two days.
On day one, Boon earned 4,021 points, boasting:
- 12.05 seconds in the 100-meter dash
- 5.77 meters in the long jump
- 13.27 meters in the shot put
- 1.57 meters in the high jump
- 56.53 seconds in the 400-meter dash
Boon entered day two in sixth place. She completed her events with:
- 14.34 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles
- 39.54 meters in the discus throw
- 3.50 meters in the pole vault
- 35.73 meters in the javelin
- 5:08.74 in the 1500-meter run
A total final score of 7,714 points earned Boon third place. Champion Camryn Newton-Smith of Australia finished with 7,900 points, and runner-up Noemie Desailly of France totaled 7,805 points.
The third-place finish comes one year after Boon captured the Women's Decathlon World Championship in 2025. She entered this year's competition looking to defend her title and become just the fourth woman to surpass 8,000 points in the event.
In addition to winning last year's Women’s Decathlon World Championship representing her home country, Boon was a standout on the Emory track and field team from 2023-25. Her years of NCAA eligibility ended in 2025 since she started competing while pursuing her undergraduate degree in psychology at Coastal Carolina University.
As an Emory Eagle, in 2025 Boon set new NCAA Division III records in the pentathlon and heptathlon while winning national championships in both events. She also earned six NCAA Division III All-America honors during her time competing for Emory and still holds the program records in the heptathlon, pentathlon, long jump and 60-meter hurdles.
Read the full recaps from day one and day two on the Emory Athletics website.
How ‘brainy’ Emory student Nikki Boon became the ‘World’s Greatest Athlete’
Get to know Nikki Boon, an Emory neuroscience PhD student, who won gold at the 2025 Women’s Decathlon World Championships. With it, she earned the official designation of “World’s Greatest Athlete,” complementing her selection as a 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year Top 30 honoree.
