EUGENE, Ore. — It is a testament to Ashton Eaton’s dominance in his discipline, the decathlon, that the 28-year-old Oregon native can lead the field after the first day of competition yet still face questions about his performance at the U.S. Olympic trials.
He is leading, as is often the case: Eaton pushed himself into first with a winning time in the 400 meters, helping to move him ahead of Jeremy Taiwo (4,561 points to 4,478) while overcoming subpar performances in the high jump and shot put.
Eaton cleared 6-6 3/4 (fifth overall) in the high jump and threw the shot put 46-0 3/4 (seventh), temporarily setting him behind the leading pace through the first five events of the two-day decathlon. He fared well otherwise, winning the 100, 400 and long jump.
He called his high jump “decent,” even though it was 4 inches below his best and Taiwo jumped about 8 inches higher and took the overall lead after four events. “We were trying to minimize the amount of jumps.”
The 46.30 in the 400 was “all right,” he added, and in line with a recent time here at Hayward Field: Eaton ran a 45.78 at the Oregon Twilight meet in early May.
Injuries have been a concern since later that same month, when Eaton hurt his quad during a Golden Spikes event held in the Czech Republic. That was exacerbated by a tight hamstring on Saturday, which came up during warm-ups and “was bothering me,” Eaton said.
“I suppose that’s what happens when you’re a 28-year-old decathlete,” he said.
Eaton is expected to build upon his lead on Sunday, when the decathlon continues with its final five events — closing with the 1500, one of Eaton’s stronger events.
“My fitness is coming back a little bit,” he said. “I had to miss some just because of my quad. But other than that I feel good. I’m really confident that I’m coming along well.”
Meanwhile, 2012 silver medalist and two-time world champion Trey Hardee is struggling with an injured hamstring and is 17th in the standings, 1,231 points behind Eaton.
Instead of withdrawing, he's going to remain in the competition so that he can watch Ashton Eaton and his decathlon buddies from the infield on the final day. "This is my last Olympic Trials. I'm not going to watch it from the stands," Hardee said.
While he iced his hamstring after a painful 400, many of his fellow decathletes approached him to show their appreciation for all he's meant in the event.
"That meant a lot," said the 32-year-old Hardee, who has no plans to retire.
Contributing: The Associated Press
