Tom Pappas, former decathlon world champion and assistant coach of the Kansas State track and field team, finished third in decathlon at the DecaStar meet in Talence, France, last weekend.

Only Oleksiy Kasyanov (Ukraine, 8,291 points) and Mikk Pahapill (Estonia, 8,255 points) bettered Pappas' performance of 8,189 points.

Pappas was looking for an acceptable ending of an unusual season this year.

He skipped the U.S. championships, which was his only chance to qualify for the world championships. In August, he posted a terrific mark of 8,569 points at the annual USA-Germany dual meet to become third in the current world rankings. A spot on the podium in Talence was a clear sign that the 33-year-old is still strong enough to play a role in the decathlon world scene.

"I guess, it was just one of those meets," Pappas said. "I should have done better in the pole vault and then win the overall competition."

The veteran is clearly keeping a low profile — Pappas defeated three of the top eight finishers of this year's world championship and was actually close to win. 

The DecaStar meet in Talence has become a very prestigious meet for decathletes. It is part of the "World Combined Event Challenge," a series of decathlon competitions. The overall winner earns a prize money of $30,000. In 2003, Pappas won the challenge by a small margin against world record holder, Roman Sebrle from Czech Republic.

Pappas' plan is to return to major competitions in Europe next year. For the next couple of weeks, he will only do his job as assistant coach of the K-State  squad.