Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
At the 1986 Goodwill Games heptathlon in Moscow, Jackie Joyner-Kersee became the first woman to exceed 7000 points, achieving a total of 7148 and breaking the world record by more than 200 points. This landmark performance was sealed as she completed the 800m final event in 2:10.02, well within the required time to secure her place in history. Joyner-Kersee had already set four personal bests in six events, underscoring her dominance before the last race. The 24-year-old athlete was cheered on by 25,000 spectators at Lenin Central Stadium during her achievement on 6–7 July 1986.
After this breakthrough, Joyner-Kersee improved her world record to 7158 points at the US Olympic Festival in Houston a month later, then to 7215 at the US Olympic Trials in Indianapolis in July 1988, and finally 7291 points at the Olympic Games in Seoul in September 1988. Only four other women have surpassed the 7000-point mark: Carolina Kluft, Anna Hall, Nafi Thiam, and Larisa Nikitina.
Nikitina, one of Joyner-Kersee's competitors in Moscow, finished eighth with 6285 points, illustrating the dominance Joyner-Kersee held in the event. Her performance set a benchmark that has stood for decades, with no other female competitor coming within 100 points of Joyner-Kersee’s 1986 tally as of now.