Dalilah Muhammad of the United States went out hard and held on strong to win the women’s 400-meter hurdles gold medal in 53.13 seconds.
Advertisement
If the threat was real, so was the former University of OR star’s response.
The 28-year-old American finished with 8,893 points to match the Olympic mark set by Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic in 2004.
Eaton won the Rio Summer Games decathlon on Thursday with an Olympic record-tying score of 8,893 points as he claimed a share of the lone major worldwide record he had yet to own in the sport.
“To equal it is like, ‘seriously?”
Eaton, twice world champion, won two of the 10 events – the long jump and 400m – and finished second to Warner in the 100m and 110m hurdles.
The American joined an elite pantheon of decathlon greats who have won back-to-back Olympic golds, Bob Mathias (1948, 1952) and Daley Thompson (1980, 1984) the other two to have achieved the feat.
“I’m exhausted right now, but I’m very happy I was able to pull it out”, Warner said.
“The young Frenchman, Kevin Mayer, was there to push me to the test and I think I passed the test”. At their wedding, their longtime coach, Harry Marra, officiated.
“To win two Olympic golds in a row like Daley Thompson is very special”, said Eaton.
Not much. But the ever-gracious Eaton is OK with that. “The decathlon is never easy”.
With the grind behind him, he said, “There was a lot of times there on third events, in the pole vault and the javelin, it was like, oh my gosh”.
After propelling his 6ft 1in, 190lb form over the bar on his third attempt and a first-try clearance at 5.20m, Eaton went straight to 5.40m.
“I’ve worked all my career, all my life, for this moment”, Bolt said. “Obviously you go in there and do everything you can”, said Warner.
Earlier on Thursday, Eaton threw the javelin 196 feet, 1 inch, while Mayer uncorked a throw of 213-4.
But it all came down to the final event, the 1 500m, with Mayer in for a chance of victory himself, albeit a slim one.
Going into the 1,500, Eaton’s personal best was 4:14.48 compared to 4:18.04 for Mayer.
“To be so close to a world-record holder, a man so gentle and humble, that already was exceptional”, Mayer said. “He was so hot”. Because he is. It’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Huh?’ I feel he should get more recognition because he’s been so awesome and so dominant.
This was the race that was dearest to him, over the distance where he had made his first global flourish by winning the 2002 world junior title in his native Kingston at the age of just 15 – and at the height of 6ft 5in.
The decathlon only receives broad attention once every four years at the Olympics, and even then, the spotlight is fleeting.
Which is exactly the way it unfolded. “I don’t know the physiological answer, but the fact that it does feel better makes me perform better”, Eaton said past year.
“I can’t imagine the pressure that’s on Ashton”, Taiwo said, adding, “To see him … still be such an incredible individual, great character and a great guy – I’m so happy that’s who it is that has the Olympic record now and the world record”.
Advertisement
For his own impressive tale, the American made it back-to-back Olympic and world titles in the decathlon, an event Eaton has ruled since he rebounded from silver at the worlds in 2011 to claim the next four major gold medals available.
