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 decathlete and two-time Olympic champion. A decathlete is an athlete who competes in a decathlon, which is a track and field event made up of ten different events. Eaton holds the world record in the indoor heptathlon event. A heptathlon is similar to a decathlon but has seven events.

Eaton was the second decathlete ever to score over 9,000 points in the decathlon. He first scored 9,039 points, then broke his own world record with 9,045 points in 2015. He is the only person to score over 9,000 points twice. His decathlon world record was later 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 won The Bowerman award in 2010, which is given to the best U.S. college track and field athletes. Eaton won his first international medal, a silver, at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.

In 2012, Eaton broke his own world record in the heptathlon. He then set a new world record in the decathlon at the Olympic Trials. After setting this record, he 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, tying the Olympic record. Eaton is one of only three Olympians to win back-to-back decathlon gold medals.

Eaton announced he was retiring from the sport on January 3, 2017.

Early Life and Athletic Beginnings

Ashton Eaton was born in Portland, Oregon, on January 21, 1988. He was the only child of Roslyn Eaton and Terrance Wilson. His parents separated when he was two years old, and he moved to La Pine, Oregon, with his mother.

From a young age, Eaton was very athletic. He played football, basketball, and soccer. He also ran, wrestled, and earned a black belt in taekwondo. When he was in fifth grade, he and his mother moved to Bend, Oregon. He attended Mountain View High School there.

Eaton became interested in track and field. His coaches, Tate Metcalf and John Nosler, helped him. In 2006, he won the state high school 400-meter championship and the long jump championship. Few colleges recruited him at first. He thought about playing football at a smaller college. In 2006, Coach Metcalf suggested that Eaton try the decathlon in college. Eaton then chose the University of Oregon because it had a strong decathlon program.

Personal Life

Ashton Eaton married Brianne Theisen on July 15, 2013. Brianne is also a multi-event athlete from Canada and was his teammate at the University of Oregon. They both competed in the London Olympics in 2012. They first met in 2006 and fell in love at the 2007 Pan American Junior Athletics Championships in Brazil. Brianne won a gold medal there for Canada. She then joined Eaton at the University of Oregon. Ashton and Brianne now have two children.

College Sports Career

At the University of Oregon, Ashton Eaton was first coached by Dan Steele. Under Steele, Eaton quickly improved in many events like the 1500 meters, high jump, hurdles, and pole vault. He improved his pole vault height by almost 4 feet in one year. He reached 8,000 points in the decathlon by his sixth college competition.

In 2010, Harry Marra became his coach. Marra had trained other Olympic decathletes. In his first year at Oregon (2006–07), Eaton was one of only three freshmen in the country to qualify for the NCAA championships in combined events. He finished second in the Pac-10 Championships decathlon.

In 2008, Eaton won the decathlon at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship. He won it again in 2009, scoring 8,241 points. He also won the heptathlon title at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships.

At the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton broke the heptathlon world record. He scored 6,499 points, beating the old record by 23 points. In June 2010, he won his third straight NCAA decathlon title. He was the first male athlete to win three decathlon titles in a row. In 2010, Eaton received The Bowerman award. He graduated from the University of Oregon the same year.

International Competitions

Early International Success (2008–2012)

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, Eaton finished fifth in the decathlon. In 2009, he placed second at the 2009 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. This earned him a spot at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin, where he finished 18th.

In February 2011, Eaton improved his own world record in the indoor heptathlon 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.

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 long jump was especially good, and he set a championship record in the 1,000-meter run.

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

2012 Summer Olympics Journey

At the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, Eaton had an amazing performance. On the first day, he set two world "decathlon bests" (the best marks ever achieved within a decathlon competition). These were in the 100-meter race (10.21 seconds) and the long jump (8.23 meters). His long jump was farther than the top qualifier in the regular long jump event at the trials.

After the first day, Eaton was more than 300 points ahead of the second-place athlete. On the second day, he continued to perform well. He set a new personal best in the 1500-meter run. His total score for the decathlon was 9,039 points, which broke the previous world record of 9,026 points.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Eaton's main competitor was his teammate, Trey Hardee. Eaton started strong, with the fastest 100-meter time and the longest long jump among all competitors. He built a big lead after the first day. On the second day, Eaton maintained his lead. He set a new personal best in the javelin throw. He then completed the 1500-meter run to win the gold medal.

World Championships Success (2013–2015)

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

Eaton during the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships

In 2014, Eaton decided to take a "rest" year from decathlon competitions. He only competed in the heptathlon at the World Indoor Championships. He won the gold medal in the Heptathlon at the 2014 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland. He started with his fastest 60-meter time ever and never lost his lead. His total score of 6,632 points ranks as the second-best heptathlon score of all time.

Eaton planned to run some 400-meter hurdles races in 2014 to build his stamina. He also hoped to compete in some Diamond League meets in other events. After his rest year, Eaton planned to defend his titles at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics, the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships, and the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Eaton won the 2015 world title in the decathlon in Beijing. He improved his own world record with a score of 9,045 points.

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

Major Competition Record

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)

Personal Bests

Eaton at the 2011 World Athletics Championships

Outdoor Events

Indoor Events

Eaton en route to victory at the 2012 Indoor World Championships

World Records Set by Eaton

Awards

• 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