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SPORTS Thursday 5 January 2017

2-time Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton retiring

PAT GRAHAM field. Nine-time Olympic
AP Sports Writer gold medalist Usain Bolt of
Two Olympic decathlon Jamaica indicated that
gold medals. Rewriting the 2017 would be his final sea-
world record not once but son of sprinting.q
twice. “I don’t know if we’ll ever
Ashton Eaton really can’t have another Usain Bolt
envision accomplishing or another Ashton Eaton,”
much more in an event Hardee said in a phone in-
that comes with the label terview. “But there are kids
of world’s greatest athlete. coming up ... and it’s going
So, he’s stepping away less to be great to watch who
than three weeks shy of his fills those gaps.”
29th birthday. Through the years, Ash-
Eaton and heptathlete ton’s constant training
Brianne Theisen-Eaton an- partner has been Brianne.
nounced their retirements They’re highly supportive
Wednesday in side-by-side each other, with Ashton sit-
essays on their website. ting in the Rio stands while
Considered the first family wearing a Canadian cap
of multi-events, to root for his wife.
Ashton and Brianne met at The 28-year-old Brianne,
the University of Oregon who represents Canada,
as teenagers and married won the bronze medal in
in July 2013. Their coach, Rio. She wrote in her essay
Harry Marra, officiated the how she usually got ner-
wedding. vous before her final event.
Ashton hinted he might be - In this March 7, 2014, file photo, United States’ Ashton Eaton, left, talks to his wife Canada’s Bri- But rather than her usual
anne Theisen Eaton as they compete in the heptathlon and pentathlon during the Athletics Indoor
moving on to other things World Championships in Sopot, Poland. thrill of finishing, Brianne
soon after defending his Associated Press was mentally exhausted.
title at the Rio de Janeiro “I have never been so
Olympics in August. He thankful to be finished
leaves with his world record fore we run out of poten- Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, opinion was Sebrle. something in my life. I felt
standing at 9,045 points, tial. That makes humanity Bill Toomey, Rafer Johnson, “I considered myself knowl- like I never wanted to do
which he achieved at the limitless then, as far as I’m Bruce Jenner, Dan O’Brien edgeable about sports. But another heptathlon again.
2015 world championships concerned. And I think and Bryan Clay, to name out of all the athletes in the This feeling confused me,”
in Beijing. that’s inspiring.” just a few. world we were choosing she wrote.
It was six points better than Some of Ashton’s top rivals Ashton’s biggest influence this man I had never seen “I took 3 months to com-
his previous record set dur- were already weighing in may have actually been doing something I’d never pletely get away. I didn’t
ing dreary weather in front on Twitter. Roman Sebrle of the Czech heard of; the decathlon,” think about those feelings.
of a hometown crowd in Fellow American Trey Republic — the decathlete Ashton wrote. I didn’t want to make any
Eugene, Oregon, at the Hardee , who finished with who inadvertently inspired “I left to go about my day decisions based on my
2012 U.S. Olympic trials. silver at the 2012 London him and whose colossal and forgot about that ex- mental exhaustion. But as
“Frankly there isn’t much Games, posted a tribute world record Ashton would perience until five years the start of the 2017 season
more I want to do in to Ashton that ended with: eventually break. later when I heard that drew nearer, I felt more
(the) sport,” Ashton wrote. “He carried the legacy flag Here’s how the story goes, word again; ‘decathlon.’ and more resistant to be-
“I gave the most physically of American decathlon as recounted by Ashton: This time, I was being asked gin training.”
robust years of my life to champions and stuck it in As a kid, he happened if I’d consider trying it. I said In his essay, Ashton closed
the discovery and pursuit the ground atop Everest.” upon a newspaper with ‘sure.’” with this line: “To Brianne;
of my limits in this domain. Hardee also referred to a headline along the lines Since then, he’s ruled I’ve never seen such a high
Did I reach them? Truthfully Ashton as “GOAT” — of “Galactic Olympics “ the sport. level of strength sustained
I’m not sure anyone really Greatest Of All Time. That’s or “Interstellar Olympics,” His departure comes be- for so long. I love you. What
does. high praise in a long line of with the article wondering fore the expected retire- now??”q
“It seems like we tend to distinguished American de- who would represent Earth ment of another big name
run out of time or will be- cathletes, which includes should one take place. The from the world of track and