“To win two Olympic golds in a row like Daley Thompson is very special”, he said, referring to the great British decathlete who won in 1980 and ’84. Some viewers have noticed that Eaton is also wearing a bib or racing number that is a different color from his competitors. Eaton’s bib is green, and there is a good reason for that.
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USA Track and Field explains that the green bib is similar to a yellow jersey at the Tour de France and worn by the current points leader.
Eaton clocked the second fastest time, 10.46sec, and took the lead after the long jump, where he managed a leading best of 7.94 metres to Warner’s 7.67. The 400m remains for Wednesday. The men’s 110-meter hurdles heats begin Thursday at 9:30 a.m.in Rio de Janeiro. Mayer, 24, used the field events to his advantage, placing first in the shot put with a 15.76m throw and topping 5.4m in the pole vault. That meant that Eaton didn’t have to beat Warner, but he did have to stay within about seven seconds of him. Eaton is married to the Canadian heptathlete who won bronze for Canada in her event.
“Probably, I should have rested it instead of running on it”, said Gatlin, who finished second to Bolt in the 100.
Theisen-Eaton is an outstanding athlete in her own right.
American Eaton flexed his sprinting muscles with a run of 10.46 seconds over 100m in the opening event of the decathlon, Wednesday.
Together, they could lay claim to the world’s most athletic couple. His time was 10.46.
Eaton earned 777 points and ranked eighth in the discus throw with a best mark of 45.49 meters, giving him 6,398 points overall. In third place, Canada’s Damian Warner with 4,489. And German Rico Freimuth is also expected to be a medal contender.
“The last week and a half before the competition was a total disaster”, she said, “and I think I didn’t quite have enough today”.
The decathlon only receives broad attention once every four years at the Olympics, and even then, the spotlight is fleeting.
It’s not the first time Eaton’s gotten into hot water for his headwear at the Rio Games. “I know there’s so much more I could have gained but it’s just up to me now to come out tomorrow and see what I’ve got for Day 2”. For a couple accustomed to rigid training schedules, Eaton says they are going to be ready for a period of indulgence, which is likely to include Brazilian churrasco.
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“I’m looking forward to Brazilian steak”, he said.
