Ashton Eaton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Ashton Eaton

Eaton in 2011
Personal information
Born	(1988-01-21) January 21, 1988 (age 37) Portland, Oregon, U.S.
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
Sport
Country	United States
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Decathlon, heptathlon
Club	Oregon Track Club
Coached by	Harry Marra
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	Decathlon: 9,045 Heptathlon: 6,645 (WR)
Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 2 1 0 World Indoor Championships 3 0 0 Total 7 1 0 Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Decathlon Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Decathlon World Championships Gold 2013 Moscow Decathlon Gold 2015 Beijing Decathlon Silver 2011 Daegu Decathlon World Indoor Championships Gold 2012 Istanbul Heptathlon Gold 2014 Sopot Heptathlon Gold 2016 Portland Heptathlon

Ashton James Eaton (born January 21, 1988) is a retired American track and field athlete. He is famous for competing in the decathlon and heptathlon events. Ashton won two Olympic gold medals. He also held the world record for the indoor heptathlon.

Eaton was the second decathlete ever to score over 9,000 points in the decathlon. He achieved 9,039 points. Later, on August 29, 2015, he broke his own record with 9,045 points. He is the only person to score over 9,000 points twice. His decathlon world record was broken in 2018 by Kevin Mayer.

Ashton Eaton competed for the Oregon Track Club Elite team. During his college years at the University of Oregon, he won five NCAA championships. He also received The Bowerman award in 2010. In 2011, Eaton won his first international medal, a silver, at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.

The next year, Eaton broke his own world record in the heptathlon. This happened at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He then broke the decathlon world record at the Olympic Trials. After setting this record, Eaton won the gold medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He won another gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. This made him only the third Olympian to win back-to-back decathlon gold medals.

Ashton Eaton announced his retirement from the sport on January 3, 2017.

Ashton Eaton's Early Life and Athletic Start

Ashton Eaton was born in Portland, Oregon, on January 21, 1988. He was the only child of Roslyn Eaton and Terrance Wilson. His mother is Caucasian, and his father is Black.

Ashton's family had a history in sports. His grandfather, Jim Eaton, played football at Michigan State University. His father also played football. His mother was an athlete and a dancer.

Ashton's parents separated when he was two years old. His mother, Roslyn, moved to La Pine, Oregon. From a young age, Ashton was very athletic. He played football, basketball, running, soccer, and wrestling. He even earned a black belt in taekwondo.

When Ashton was in fifth grade, he and his mother moved to Bend, Oregon. He attended Mountain View High School there. He was interested in track and field. His coaches were Tate Metcalf and John Nosler. In 2006, he won the state high school 400 m championship. He also won the long jump championship.

Only a few colleges wanted to recruit Eaton. He thought about playing football at a Division III college. In 2006, Coach Metcalf asked him to consider the decathlon in college. Metcalf suggested a university with a strong decathlon program. Eaton chose the University of Oregon.

Ashton Eaton's Personal Life

Ashton Eaton married his college teammate, Brianne Theisen, on July 15, 2013. Brianne is a Canadian multi-event athlete. They both competed in the London Olympics in 2012.

Ashton and Brianne first met in 2006 at the University of Oregon. They fell in love at the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Brazil. Brianne won a gold medal for Canada there. She then followed Ashton to the University of Oregon. Ashton and Brianne now have two children.

Ashton Eaton's College Sports Career

At the University of Oregon, Ashton Eaton was first coached by Dan Steele. Steele was a former decathlete. Under Steele, Eaton quickly got better in many events. These included the 1500 m, high jump, hurdles, and pole vault. He improved his pole vault by almost 4 feet in one year. He reached 8,000 points by his sixth college decathlon.

In 2010, Steele left to coach at another university. The University of Oregon then hired Harry Marra as a decathlon coach. Marra had trained other Olympic decathletes. He helped Eaton develop his skills even more.

In his first year at Oregon (2006–07), Eaton was one of only three freshmen in the country to qualify for NCAAs. He finished second in the Pac-10 Championships decathlon. He then placed third at the USA Junior Championships decathlon. This earned him a trip to Brazil for the 2007 Pan American Junior Championships.

In 2008, Eaton won the decathlon at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship.

In 2009, Eaton won his second decathlon title at the NCAA Championships. He scored 8,241 points. He also won the heptathlon title at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Eaton was named the Division I field athlete of the year in 2009.

At the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton broke the heptathlon world record. He scored 6,499 points. This beat Dan O'Brien's record from 17 years earlier. In June 2010, he won his third straight NCAA decathlon title. He scored a personal best of 8,457 points. He was the first male athlete to win three decathlon titles in a row. In 2010, Eaton won The Bowerman award. This award goes to the best male and female U.S. college track and field athletes. Eaton graduated from the University of Oregon that same year.

Ashton Eaton's International Competitions

Early International Success (2008–2009)

At the 2008 United States Olympic Trials, Eaton finished fifth in the decathlon. He scored 8,122 points.

At the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, Eaton placed second. He scored 8,075 points. This earned him a spot at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin. There, he finished 18th.

Breaking Records (2011–2012)

Eaton at the 2011 World Athletics Championships

Eaton broke his own world record in the indoor heptathlon in February 2011. This happened at a meeting in Tallinn. He scored 6,568 points.

In August 2011, at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics, Eaton won the silver medal in the decathlon. He scored 8,505 points. His teammate Trey Hardee won the gold.

In March 2012, Eaton won the gold medal in the heptathlon at the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Istanbul. He set a new world record of 6,645 points. He won five of the seven events. His best events were the Long Jump and the 1,000 m run. He beat the silver medalist by 574 points.

Heptathlon	6645 pts	Ashton Eaton	March 9–10, 2012	2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey
	60m Long jump Shot put High jump 60m H Pole vault 1000m 6.79 8.16 m 14.56 m 2.03 m 7.68 5.20 m 2:32.78

Olympic Journey: Trials and Gold (2012)

Olympic Trials Performance

At the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, Eaton had an amazing first day. He set two world "decathlon bests." These are like world records for athletes competing in a full decathlon. He ran the 100-meter in 10.21 seconds. He then long jumped 8.23 m (26 ft 11.89074804 in) meters. His long jump was much farther than other competitors.

After the first day, Eaton had 4,728 points. He was more than 300 points ahead of Trey Hardee. On the second day, Eaton won the 110-meter hurdles. He also did well in the pole vault. In the final event, the 1500 m run, Eaton set a new personal best. He finished first with a time of 4:14.48.

His total score for the decathlon was 9,039 points. This broke Roman Šebrle's previous world record of 9,026 points. Eaton also broke Dan O'Brien's American record.

Winning Olympic Gold

At the 2012 Olympics in London, Eaton's main rival was Trey Hardee. Eaton's 100 m time was the best of the day. His long jump was almost half a meter farther than anyone else. This gave him a big lead. He also performed well in the shot put, high jump, and 400 meters. After the first day, he had a 220-point lead over Hardee.

On the second day, Eaton started strong in the 110m hurdles. Hardee gained some points in the discus throw. But Eaton quickly got those points back with a great pole vault. In the javelin throw, Eaton set a new personal best. He had a strong lead going into the final event, the 1500 m run. Eaton completed the event and won the gold medal.

World Championships Success (2013-2015)

Eaton won the 2013 world title in the decathlon. He scored 8,809 points in Moscow.

Eaton during the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships

In 2014, Eaton focused on the heptathlon. He won the gold medal in the Heptathlon at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland. He started the competition with his fastest 60 m time ever. He never lost his lead. His total of 6,632 points ranks as the second-best score of all time.

Eaton won the 2015 world title in the decathlon. He improved his own world record with a 9,045-point performance in Beijing.

Decathlon	9045 pts	Ashton Eaton	August 28–29, 2015	2015 World Championships in Athletics	Beijing National Stadium, Beijing, China
	100m (wind) Long jump (wind) Shot put High jump 400m 110H (wind) Discus Pole vault Javelin 1500m 10.23 (-0.4 m/s) 7.88 m (+0.0 m/s) 14.52 m 2.01 m 45.00WDB 13.69 (-0.2 m/s) 43.34 m 5.20 m 63.63 m 4:17.52

Ashton Eaton's Major Competition Medals

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Result
Representing the  United States
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	18th	Decathlon	8061
2011	World Championships	Daegu, South Korea	2nd	Decathlon	8505
2012	World Indoor Championships	Istanbul, Turkey	1st	Heptathlon	6645 (WR)
	Olympic Games	London, United Kingdom	1st	Decathlon	8869
2013	World Championships	Moscow, Russia	1st	Decathlon	8809
2014	World Indoor Championships	Sopot, Poland	1st	Heptathlon	6632
2015	World Championships	Beijing, China	1st	Decathlon	9045 (WR)
2016	World Indoor Championships	Portland, United States	1st	Heptathlon	6470
2016	Olympic Games	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil	1st	Decathlon	8893 (OR)

Ashton Eaton's Personal Best Scores

Outdoor Events

Decathlon best

Indoor Events

Eaton en route to victory at the 2012 Indoor World Championships

World record

Ashton Eaton's World Records

Awards and Recognition

• World Athletics Awards

World Athlete of the Year (Men)：2015

See also

In Spanish: Ashton Eaton para niños

• Decathlon world record progression
• Men's heptathlon world record progression