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USA Track & Field – News – Two-time Olympic gold medalist Ashton Eaton announces his retirement
EUGENE, Oregon — The world’s greatest athlete, Ashton Eaton, announced his retirement from competitive track & field today (Wednesday) via social media. The two-time, reigning Olympic gold medalist and world record holder, two-time IAAF World Champion, three-time IAAF World Indoor Champion, Eaton posted a heartfelt letter to his mentors and supporters on his website We Are Eaton
“It has been 10 years since [my first foray in the decathlon] and it’s my time to depart from athletics; to do something new…” Eaton wrote. “To my supporters and sponsors, the things I have achieved were achieved together with you. At times when I was doubtful, you believed. And if I was confident, it was also because you believed. Thank you for the love and support.”
“Ashton is an incomparable athlete and ambassador for our sport,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “His dedication and sportsmanship both on and off the field of play elevated the decathlon and the sport of track and field as a whole. He is retiring with the same grace and class that he embodied while competing.”
Eaton is moving on from the sport upon which he left an indelible mark. A two-time USATF Jesse Owens Male Athlete of the Year, Eaton also named the 2015 IAAF World Athlete of the Year following his world record performance in Beijing at the IAAF World Championships. Voted by teammates as a Team USA captain twice in 2016, Eaton led two USATF teams to record-breaking team performances at the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Portland (23 medals) and the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio (32 medals).
One of the most explosive athletes in any track and field discipline, Eaton set decathlon event “world bests” in the 400m (45.00) and long jump (8.23m/27-0), along with American bests in the 100m (10.21) and 110m hurdles (13.52). During his career, Eaton set three world indoor records in the heptathlon and two decathlon world records.
Eaton turned in multiple memorable moments throughout his career, performances that will stand the test of time. No track & field fan will forget his rain-soaked U.S. Olympic Trials in 2012, where Eaton put the crowd on its feet throughout the two days at Historic Hayward Field en route to a then-world record of 9,039 points. Eaton was an accomplished collegiate athlete at the University of Oregon, winning the Bowerman Award following his final year of collegiate competition and was a five-time NCAA champion for Oregon, winning decathlon gold in 2008, 2009 and 2010, and indoor heptathlon gold in 2009 and 2010.
Eaton’s wife, Canadian heptathlete and Olympic bronze medalist Brianne Theisen-Eaton, also announced her retirement from track & field. Married in July of 2013, the couple established the lifestyle brand, Eaton, in 2015. Advocating becoming the most remarkable version of yourself and cultivating a real and relentlessly focused community of doers through active engagement and outreach, Eaton presented the #WhatsYourGold social media challenge in 2016, enabling the winner to attend the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
Ashton Eaton – By the Numbers
Superlatives
- World record holder, decathlon (9,045 points – 2015)
- World record holder, heptathlon (6,645 points – 2012)
- Olympic Games record holder (tied), decathlon (8,893 points – 2016)
- U.S. Olympic Trials record holder, decathlon (9,039 points – 2012)
- 2016 Olympic gold medalist, decathlon (8,893 points)
- 2016 IAAF World Indoor Champion, heptathlon (6,470 points)
- 2015 IAAF World Champion, decathlon (9,045 points)
- 2014 IAAF World Indoor Champion, heptathlon (6,632 points)
- 2013 IAAF World Champion, decathlon (8,809 points)
- 2012 Olympic gold medalist, decathlon (8,869 points)
- 2012 IAAF World Indoor Champion, heptathlon (6,645 points)
- 2011 IAAF World Championships silver medalist, decathlon (8,505 points)
Important Dates
- March 13, 2010 – Scored 6,499 to win the NCAA heptathlon title and break Dan O’Brien’s record that had stood for one day short of 17 years.
- February 6, 2011 – Scored 6,568 at Tallinn, Estonia, to break his own world indoor record.
- March 10, 2012 – Won the World Indoor title in Istanbul with 6,645 points to set the current WIR.
- June 23, 2012 – Broke Roman Sebrle’s 11-year-old world record in the decathlon to win the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, adding 13 points to the previous WR with his 9,039.
- August 29, 2015 – Added six points to his own WR with a 9,045-point performance to take World Championships gold in Beijing.
Personal Bests
Event |
Result |
Wind |
Venue |
Date |
60m ind. |
6.66 |
Tallinn (EST) |
05.02.2011 |
|
100m |
10.21 |
+0.4 |
Eugene (USA) |
22.06.2012 |
100m |
10.19 |
+2.7 |
Berkeley (USA) |
15.05.2010 |
200m |
20.76 |
+1.8 |
Walnut (USA) |
19.04.2013 |
400m |
45.00 |
Beijing (CHN) |
28.08.2015 |
|
400m ind. |
47.80 |
New York (USA) |
06.02.2009 |
|
800m ind. |
1:55.90 |
Princeton (USA) |
22.01.2011 |
|
1000m ind. |
2:32.67 |
Fayetteville (USA) |
13.03.2010 |
|
1500m |
4:14.48 |
Eugene (USA) |
23.06.2012 |
|
60mH ind. |
7.51 |
New York (USA) |
14.02.2015 |
|
110mH |
13.35 |
+1.8 |
Eugene (USA) |
04.06.2011 |
110mH |
13.34 |
+2.4 |
Eugene (USA) |
02.06.2012 |
400mH |
48.69 |
Glasgow (GBR) |
11.07.2014 |
|
High Jump |
2.11 |
Burnaby (CAN) |
10.06.2012 |
|
High Jump ind. |
2.11 |
Fayetteville (USA) |
12.03.2010 |
|
Pole Vault |
5.40 |
Portland (USA) |
08.08.2015 |
|
Pole Vault ind. |
5.40 |
Boston (USA) |
14.02.2016 |
|
Long Jump |
8.23 |
+0.8 |
Eugene (USA) |
22.06.2012 |
Long Jump ind. |
8.16 |
Istanbul (TUR) |
09.03.2012 |
|
Shot Put |
15.40 |
Palo Alto (USA) |
30.03.2013 |
|
Shot Put ind. |
15.05 |
Boston (USA) |
08.02.2014 |
|
Discus Throw |
47.36 |
Chula Vista (USA) |
14.08.2011 |
|
Javelin Throw |
66.64 |
San Luis Obispo (USA) |
16.03.2013 |
|
Decathlon |
9045 |
Beijing (CHN) |
29.08.2015 |
|
Heptathlon ind. |
6645 |
Istanbul (TUR) |
10.03.2012 |
|
4x100m |
40.26 |
Eugene (USA) |
26.05.2007 |
|
4x400m |
3:08.03 |
Eugene (USA) |
09.05.2014 |
|
4x400m ind. |
3:08.42 |
Fayetteville (USA) |
13.03.2010 |
|
Distance Medley |
9:26.07 |
Eugene (USA) |
06.05.2011 |