Ashton Eaton is the ‘World’s Greatest Athlete!’ It’s true. Traditionally the title of the world’s greatest athlete is given to the person who wins the Olympic decathlon. Eaton won the gold medal in decathlon at the 2012 London Olympics four years ago. So it’s no stretch to call Ashton Eaton the world’s greatest athlete. Don’t believe us? Then just check out Ashton Eaton’s wiki page on the net.
What is the Decathlon?
Many people are unaware of what the decathlon is. If you are one of them, don’t worry. We will tell you all about it. The decathlon is a combined event which consists of ten track and field events. Decathlon consists of four runs, three jumps and three throws. It is held over a period of two days with five events each on each day. On Day 1 the events are 100m, Long jump, Shot put, High jump and 400m. On Day 2 the events are 110m, Discuss throw, Pole vault, Javelin throw and 1,500m. Performance is judged by the points earned in each event not the position achieved. The winner is the person who has the maximum combined points in this two day event.
Sporting Genes
Eaton was born in Portland, Oregon on January 21, 1988. He is the only child of his mother Roslyn Eaton and his father Terrance Wilson. Eaton’s father is African-American while his mother is white. Roslyn was an athlete and a dancer while Terrance used to play football. So it was no surprise when Eaton took to sports in a big way at a small age. Ashton Eaton’s parents separated when he was just two years old. Eaton put all his angst into sports and in high school spent most of his time playing football, basketball, soccer, wrestling and running. He set several records in running and long jump while still in high school.
Cupid Strikes
The funny thing is that Eaton was unaware of what the decathlon was till he was applying to colleges for admission. It’s only when his coach advised him to apply to a college with a strong decathlon program that Eaton considered the event as a possible career. He finally joined the University of Oregon where he met his future wife Brianne Thiesen. The Canadian Thiesen, was also a multi-event athlete and both participated in the 2007 Pan American Junior World Athletics Championships held in Brazil. They fell in love and Thiesen married Eaton right after the 2012 London Olympics.
Records Fall Easily
Eaton proved his worth early on in his career. When in college he was a five-time NCAA champion and won The Bowerman award in 2010. In 2011 he won a silver at the World Championships. Eaton is the World record holder in the decathlon event, a feat he achieved in the 2012 Olympic trials. He scored 9,045 points beating his own earlier record which was 9,039 points. Eaton is only the second decathlete who has broken the 9,000 points barrier in the history of the event. Now Eaton competes on behalf of his club, the Oregon Track Club Elite team.
The Favorite
People are asking “What is Ashton Eaton’s net worth?” It is above $0.5 million which is a bit less considering his athletic talent. Things will certainly get better for Eaton if he is able to retain the title in this year’s Rio Olympics. He is the favorite to win this title at Rio. He has been the winner in all World Championships since 2013. Decathletes get better with age and experience, so Eaton’s best might still be yet to come. If the past is any indication Eaton is the star to watch out for in Rio.
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Source:
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