Brooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., made her move in the second round of women’s golf at the Olympics after five consecutive birdies to finish 7-under 64.
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Ashton Eaton celebrates during the men’s decathlon pole vault at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 18, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
And even in Rio, he had reason to celebrate: His wife, Brianne Theisen-Eaton, won bronze in the heptathlon for Canada.
Before the final 1500, with the camera on him, Ashton said, “Thank you”. “Getting ready for this”. “When you care that much, it’s going to”.
It was bronze, not the gold he wanted, but the smile on his face when he crossed the 1,500-metre finish line, the final event of this grueling two-day discipline, suggested he wasn’t complaining.
If there was any further doubt about his mettle, the javelin throw did away with that, too. Despite holding a 12-10 lead late in the final set, the US allowed Serbia to go on a 5-1 run to close out the match and earn the victory.
While Eaton failed to reach the heights set by his own world record, his score of 8,893 points was more than enough to win and tie the Olympic record. One second either way would have made the difference.
The 28-year-old who was raised in Bend and now lives in Eugene had a Northwest rival at these Olympics. His inability to produce a record on demand showed he is merely human.
“To be so close to a world record holder, a man so gentle and humble, that already was exceptional”, Mayer said.
The Olympic and world champion had a 115-point lead over world championship silver medalist Damian Warner after seven events in the decathlon.
Brazil’s Luiz Alberto de Araujo again drew the most cheers from the sparse crowd in the Olympic Stadium, winning the second hurdles heat in 14.17 and managing a 45.10m discus throw, leaving him seventh overall.
Eaton has confirmed his status at the dominant decathlete of his time.
Clement was so confident of winning a first Olympic individual gold that in January he pushed aside his other track medals and cleared out an empty space in the trophy cabinet in his Gainesville townhouse.
Dalilah Muhammad became the first American woman to win the 400-meter hurdles after she scythed through the field, clocking a time of 53.13 seconds to win by a margin of 0.42 seconds.
He ran over onto the track and put his hands on Clement’s back with heartfelt congratulations.
“She said, ‘You know, Ash, you can’t come to the Olympic Games and get a PR in every event.’ And Ash says, ‘Kevin Mayer is doing it'”. “I was on the ground, exhausted”.
Although I had my work cut out for me for dividing up today’s column, I am giving this nod to Ashton Eaton.
With her turn on the track over, she settled into the stands to root for him.
Field events haven’t gotten much airtime in Rio, so it’s easy to miss the stack of medals the US has accumulated in the throwing and jumping events. “Ur respect is hard earned”, Eaton tweeted, defending himself and his wife.
On Friday, the USA anthem will be played in Eaton’s honor again during the victory ceremony.
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“In London I was kind of the new kid on the block and I didn’t even know at the time what I was capable of, I just (went) out there and had a great old time and results were just falling into place”, Warner said after his first day of competition in Rio. He is truly one of the country’s greatest athletes.
