Jeremy Taiwo finishes second in season-long IAAF Combined Events Challenge...

MONTE CARLO—University of Washington alum Jeremy Taiwo (left/photo by Paul Merca) of the Seattle-based Brooks Beasts finished second in the 2016 season-long IAAF Combined Events Challenge, according to a release from the international track & field governing body.

The IAAF Combined Events Challenge consisted of eleven multi-events meetings in Italy, Austria, Australia, Czech Republic. Canada, Germany, France. the Netherlands, as well as select national and international meets, including the US Olympic Trials and the Olympics in Rio.

Taiwo started out with an 8203 point performance at the Gotzis meeting in Austria, then followed it up with a personal best score of 8425 points to take second at the US Olympic Trials in Eugene, then ended his season with an 11th place finish at the Rio Olympics, scoring 8300 points, giving him a season score of 24,928, just behind Germany’s Kai Kazmirek.

Kazmirek won the season long challenge with a total of 25221 points in his three decathlon competitions in 2016—8318 in Gotzis;  8323 in Ratingen, Germany; and a fourth place finish in Rio at the Olympics with a personal best 8580 points.

Kazmirek walks away with the first prize of $30,000, while Taiwo will receive $20,000 for his season-long efforts.

Athletes eligible for prize money from the season long Multi-Events Challenge had to complete at least three meets from the series; all six of the Olympic decathlon and heptathlon medalists only completed two multi-event competitions in 2016, including the Oregon TC’s Ashton Eaton, who won his second Olympic decathlon title in Rio.

The IAAF release is available here; the final standings of the IAAF Combined Events Challenge is available here.

NOTE:  The IAAF contributed to this report.