Ashton Eaton Ashton Eaton
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T&FN INTERVIEW AshtonAshton EatonEaton shton Eaton has been on a roll this year. First, really starts. Ahe followed up his December graduation T&FN: And world guys like from Oregon (psychology degree) with a spate of Roman Šebrle, who was in Tallinn, event PRs indoors that led to a triathlon win at definitely know you’re out there Millrose—over the likes of Bryan Clay, Trey Hardee, training. How, in fact, have you Jake Arnold and Curtis Beach. benefited from having top-class Then he scored a resounding 6568 to up his own Americans in the event? heptathlon World Record in Estonia. Eaton: It’s a huge benefit In his first outdoor appearance, and with mom because you have to push Roslyn in the stands watching him, Eaton extended yourself. My ultimate goals are his javelin PR by nearly 9 feet—on his only throw. the Olympics and the World Clearly, in his first pro season, the career of last Championships, besides just by Jon year’s Bowerman Award winner is on the ascent: bettering my performances. But to just get to those meets Hendershott T&FN: You opened with a 185-8 (56.59) javelin and being an American, it’s PR. It’s just one event, but was that an encouraging really tough. way to start ’11 outdoors? We have so many good Eaton: It was awesome, actually. Javelin has guys and only three make a been an event I team, so it’s a good competitive Eaton In struggled with atmosphere. It may not be as all of my career. tough in some other countries A Nutshell My old PR to get a qualifying standard. •Personal: Ashton James [176‑11/53.93] But the standards in the U.S. are Eaton was born January 21, was from my pretty high. So there is pressure 1988, in Portland, Oregon; soph year when I at those types of events—but it’s 6-1/180 (1.83/82) won NCAAs the good pressure because it pushes •Schools: Mountain View HS first time. people to better scores. (Bend, Oregon) ’06; Oregon Even with T&FN: How did you benefit ’10; now represents Nike that mark, I from competing at the ’09 Worlds Elite TC PRed by about in Berlin? •PRs: Decathlon—8457 ’10. 30 feet just Eaton: I don’t think it was Hept In—6568 WR ’11 (see box because it was so much the marks or the for individual events) a clutch type competition, but rather seeing Coaches: Tate Metcalf (HS); • of thing and I how the European system Kelly Blair-LaBounty, Dan had to do that Steele, Harry Marra (Oregon); works. The length of the days Marra (pro) to win. But, it’s in the multi and that you have tough having a to be pretty much ready for •Major Meets: LJ—2)USJ, 11) PAJr ’07. Dec— 3)USJr ’07; 1) PR from back in anything. It’s not like we do NC, 5)OT ’08; 1)NC, 2)US, 18) my soph year. over here. WC ’09; 1)NC ’10. Hept In—6) T&FN: You Like, there isn’t a set half‑ NCi ’08; 1)NCi ’09; 1)NCi ’10 said after your hour between each event, like •World/U.S. Rankings: ’08—x, second heptathlon we might do in the States. I’ve 4; ’09—x, 3; ’10—2, 1. WR that you already looked at the Daegu hadn’t thought Worlds schedule and there is a about comparing 7‑hour break between the shot the Tallinn 6568 with your first record, the 6499 and the high jump. It was the from last year’s NCAA Indoor. Have you thought same in Berlin: a 4‑hour break about that, or is it a “that’s in the past” sort of thing? between those events. Eaton: Yeah, I think it’s a past thing. It was So we had to manage our just something I wanted to do indoors to kind bodies better. You just always of establish where I was. Obviously, it was a have to be ready. really good start to a pro career. I was just using T&FN: Going back a ways, that to set up my outdoor season. were you a 400/long jump type of I feel like I can kind of lay low this outdoor guy in high school? season. Say I hadn’t done anything indoors, Eaton: I was more of a people might have said, “Where’s Ashton 100/200 guy; I didn’t do the 400 Eaton? He’s a pro now and should be doing until my senior year. Actually, stuff.” I did some 4x4s but nothing But since I did indoors and got the World open. And long jump, of course. Record, people know I’m out there training My PRs were 10.84, 21.6 and and I can just lay low until outdoor season 23‑11¾ [7.31]. GIANCARLO COLOMBO/PHOTO RUN 12 — May 2011 Track & Field News “Even the greatest T&FN: Who first directed you “became” a decathlete? When did you fully embrace mathematicians, like toward the decathlon? the event? Eaton: It was my high school Eaton: I would say it was Pac‑10s my coach, Tate Metcalf. He is a great guy freshman year [’07]. I had done only one Einstein, wanted to and we’re still really good friends. multi before that, at the Jim Click Shootout in It was a funny thing because in my Arizona and I scored 6997. I won and Harry challenge themselves. soph year, he decided, “This kid [Marra] actually was at that meet since he was has potential.” coaching Paul Terek at the time. It’s the same thing with He would always bring T&FN Pac‑10s came around and I got 2nd. I had to to track practice. He asked if I had run the fastest 1500 up to then and it was only the multis.” ever seen it and I said I hadn’t. He my second one. I ran 4:58 at the Arizona meet said, “They talk about all the best but in the Pac‑10 I ran 4:39. That was huge for athletes in the nation and in the back me because I was dying in the heat. I ended is a section with all the best high up getting 2nd behind Jake Arnold and I scored school marks of the year.” 7123. I really had to step it up. I looked through it and said, “I T&FN: Was there one thing, or a group of things, can do some of these,” and he said, about the whole “Yeah, that’s what I was thinking, experience that Eaton’s PRs too.” So it became not a game but a really captivated Ashton Eaton’s decathlon really big goal because T&FN was you? event PRs add up to 9004: a really big deal and a lot of the Eaton: I 100.................. 10.33 (’10) high school kids in it got recruited. think it just fits LJ ..........26-4½/8.04 (’10) I jumped a windy 24‑1 [7.34] as a my personality. SP ..........47-5/14.45i (’11) senior and I finally got in T&FN When I go to HJ ............6-11/2.11i (’10) [November ’06 edition]. I was like, practice, there 400.................. 46.28 (’10) “Oh, awesome!” It was pretty sweet. are a lot of First-day total 4743 In the spring of my senior year, different things 110H ............... 13.54 (’10) it was close to recruiting season to do. DT .........143-5/43.71 (’10) and Tate asked me, “Ashton, have I try to master PV ............17-3/5.26i (’10) you ever heard of the decathlon?” I them all. I don’t JT .........185-8/56.59 (’11) said no and he said it was an event like being bad at 1500.............4:20.56 (’10) Second-day total 4261 where you do five events each day, something and over two days. the decathlon I asked what the events were is really tough. and he told me and I thought that I used to be able to pick up things overnight. sounded good. Then that was that; But it just doesn’t work that way with the dec; it was about a minute‑and‑a‑half there is always a challenge. Even the greatest conversation and then we continued mathematicians, like Einstein, wanted to practice. challenge themselves. It’s the same thing with But I also started messing around the multis. with a few of the events. I threw T&FN: Many decathletes have said that the a little jav, threw the disc once object isn’t to beat another competitor, but to better or twice, threw the shot some in yourself. What do you think of that? practice. Over the summer, I played Eaton: I agree totally. Almost every meet, I with hurdles. But I had never pole go out and try to do a PR in every event. I’m vaulted before. up for the 100 and I think, “OK, today I’m T&FN: So how did you end up at going to run faster than I ever have.” Same Oregon? with each event. So it definitely is against Eaton: Tate had contacted yourself. You can have other competitors there coaches at Boise State, Washington to push you, but you’re always competing first State and Oregon. They all wanted against yourself. to know my marks: “What does he T&FN: You said something very interesting high jump, or vault or throw the about the Tallinn heptathlon that also pertains to shot?” And Tate had to answer, you in a decathlon: “I try to be a spectator in my “Well, he hasn’t done that one, or own body.