Is Ashton Eaton the World’s Greatest Athlete?

After a gold medal in the London Olympics and setting the decathlon world record, many are asking, is Ashton Eaton the world’s greatest athlete

The decathlon is quite possibly the toughest event in the Olympic Games. It is a combination of 10 track and field events that take place over two days. Decathlon athletes must train in a wide variety of sports and condition their bodies to adapt to whatever event they are taking part in. Today, the best decathlete, and perhaps world’s greatest athlete, is Ashton Eaton.

Eaton was born in Portland, Oregon in 1988. From a young age he excelled in sports, competing in football, basketball, running, soccer and wrestling. By the time he reached high school, Eaton had decided to pursue track and field. He won the 400 meter race and long jump in his senior year, and soon enrolled at the University of Oregon to train for the decathlon.

Ashton Eaton quickly improved in his decathlon events while at U of O. He won the 2008 decathlon at the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and defended the title again in 2009 and 2010. Eaton won the Bowerman Award in 2010, and graduated from the University of Oregon the same year.

Eaton’s incredible Olympic performance

Eaton qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games by setting a decathlon world record of 9039 points, and setting two individual decathlon bests in the 100 meter sprint and long jump. He quickly became known as one of the USA’s top Olympic athletes, and many online sportsbooks in the US had him as a favorite to win gold.

The young American decathlete did just that, battling primarily against fellow American Trey Hardee for much of the event before a stellar pole vault raised his lead over Hardee to 150 points. By then the medals had already been determined, and Eaton finished the event at 4:33:59 to win gold and the title of the world’s greatest athlete.

Ashton Eaton has continued to find success since the 2012 Olympics, winning gold medals in the 2013 and 2015 Decathlon World Championships. He will now look to add another gold medal to his incredible athletic resume at the 2016 Olympics, and continue his reign as the world’s greatest athlete.

Do you think Ashton Eaton is the greatest athlete alive? Who is better? Leave your comments below and make sure to check out GamingZion’s US gambling news page to stay updated on everything related to sports and gambling!