Matt Chisam's first-place finish in his first-ever decathlon had nothing to do with beginner's luck.
The St. Francis High senior and his coaches say his success at the U.S. Junior Regional Championship is the product of hard work.
"He's been training since May and has put in a lot of work," said his mom, Roberta.
Preparing for the decathlon is far from easy, as the sport involves competing in 10 track and field events. There's the 100-meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 run, 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 run.
Matt received most of his coaching from Roberta, the girls track coach at St. Francis, and his father, Scott, a former track assistant at Stanford University.
Roberta coached Matt in the throws and jumps, while Scott helped out with the running events. St. Francis track assistant Tom Tuite also worked with Matt, coaching him in the pole vault.
Having track coaches for parents was "a huge advantage," Matt said.
"I'd come home, eat dinner and then we'd go to the park and practice," the 17-year-old said. "There aren't a lot of families out there doing that."
Matt's three years on the St. Francis track team didn't hurt, either.
So when it came time for the regional, held July 10-11 in Visalia, Matt was ready.
After the first day of competition - the decathlon is split into two days - Matt was five points out of first place.
The second day, Matt took over and wound up winning by 800 points.
"Those just happened to be my best events," Matt said of the hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 run. "They're really different - so much is technique."
While he received the bulk of his points in the pole vault, Matt was most proud of his effort in the 1,500. Since it was the last event and he'd already wrapped up the championship, Matt said some parents in the stands were taking bets that he wouldn't run it.
He surprised the crowd by not only running it, but winning it.
"I don't exactly look like a distance runner," said Matt, who is 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. "But I just wanted to do my best."
When it was all over, Matt equaled or set personal records in six events. He totaled 5,875 points, which was a tad short of his goal. "I was going for 2,000," he said.
By winning the U.S. Regional, Matt qualified for this week's national meet in Omaha. Neb. Matt decided not to compete because it conflicted with St. Francis football practice.
He plans on entering other decathlons in the future, though, and hopes to compete in college as well.