The two-time champion also light-heartedly bemoaned his failure to claim the solitary additional point that would have seen him suprass Sebrle’s Olympic record. “I knew the Olympic record was there, and for the sake of my coach I was like man I have got to try to go for this thing”.
Advertisement
“I’m glad that I got to watch every second of it and she’s a massive inspiration for me”, Eaton said. “One day, I’m going to have to meet Daley, shake his hand and thank him for giving me something to chase after”, said Eaton, who is only the third man in history to win two decathlon golds, after Thompson and compatriot Bob Mathias.
Ashton Eaton, the world record holder in the Decathlon, has stated that he believes that “tennis is the next most athletic sport”, behind his own.
Arguably the performance of the day by a United States athlete came in the women’s 400m hurdles, where Dalilah Muhammad became the first American to win the event since it was introduced at the 1984 Olympics.
United States’ Ashton Eaton competes in a men’s decathlon 110-meter hurdles heat during the athletics competitions of the 2016 Summer Olympics at the Olympic stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 18, 2016.
“I’m exhausted right now, but I’m very happy I was able to pull it out”, Warner said.
“There’s nothing else I can do”, said Bolt. “I thought I had what it took to break the Canadian record five years ago, and I didn’t learn that until last year”.
Friday’s 4×100-meter relay final is all that’s left now between Bolt and an historic three golds at three straight Olympics.
And to highlight how the USA team feeds off each other, Ashton Eaton briefly took time off his decathlon to congratulate Clement as he lay exhausted in the midday sun after his 400-meter hurdles final. He will be running the final in his favorite event, the 200, and few would bet against him completing a 100-200 double at three consecutive Olympics.
Sara Slott Petersen of Denmark claimed silver in 53.55, while Muhammad’s compatriot Ashley Spencer captured the bronze in 53.72.
“I wasn’t nervous, I was willing to run myself into the hospital if I had to”, Eaton told reporters after the competition.
The Frenchman need to beat Eaton by seven seconds in the final event – the 1,500 meters – to take the title.
Advertisement
“You really just have to try to be smooth and treat each attempt with 90 percent effort in a way”, Eaton said earlier in the week, describing his strategy, as reported by Huffington Post. “That is why I am so good at what I do”, said Bolt. “So hopefully people can read about me as the greatest”.
