Ashton Eaton is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 decathlete, who competes for the Oregon Track Club Elite team based in Eugene

Eugene, Oregon

Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. He currently holds the world record in the heptathlon.

College career

In 2008, Eaton won the decathlon at the NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship

NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship

The NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship is an annual collegiate outdoor track and field competition for men organised by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. It has three divisions: Division I, II, and III. Athlete's individual performances earn points for their institution and...

.

In 2009, Eaton defended his decathlon title at the NCAA Championships to win with 8,241 points (wind aided). He also won the heptathlon title at the 2009 NCAA Indoor Championships

NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship

NCAA team champions for Men's Indoor Track and Field-See also:*NCAA Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Indoor Track and Field Championship*NCAA Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championship*Pre-NCAA Indoor Track and Field Champions...

 with 5,988 points. Eaton won the Division I field athlete of the year award in 2009.

At the 2010 NCAA Indoor Championships, Eaton broke the heptathlon world record with a score of 6,499, eclipsing Dan O'Brien

Dan O'Brien

Daniel Dion O'Brien is a former American decathlete. He was deemed one of the best decathlon athletes of the 1990s, winning an Olympic gold medal after winning three consecutive world titles....

's 17-year-old mark by 23 points. In June 2010, he won his third consecutive NCAA decathlon title by finishing first in the decathlon with a personal best of 8,457 points.

In 2010 Ashton Eaton won The Bowerman

The Bowerman

The Bowerman is an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given to the year's best student-athlete in American collegiate track and field. It is named after Oregon track and field and cross country coach Bill Bowerman and is administered by the U.S...

, which has been described as the Track and Field version of the Heisman Trophy

Heisman Trophy

The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...

.

International career

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Eaton placed fifth overall.

At the 2009 USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships, Eaton placed second in the decathlon behind Trey Hardee

Trey Hardee

James Edward Hardee III is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the decathlon.-Career:...

. This earned him a place at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics

2009 World Championships in Athletics

The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....

, in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

, where he finished 18th with a points total of 8061.

He improved his own world record in the indoor heptathlon at the International Indoor Combined Events Meeting in Tallinn

Tallinn

Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...

 in February 2011. In spite of under-performing in the high jump

High jump

The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....

 he managed a score of 6568 points.

In August 2011, at the 2011 World Championships in Athletics

2011 World Championships in Athletics

The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011....

, Eaton won the silver medal in the decathlon competition with a final points tally of 8505, losing first place to his compatriot Trey Hardee

Trey Hardee

James Edward Hardee III is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the decathlon.-Career:...

.

Personal bests

Outdoor

.

Event	Performance	Location	Date
Decathlon	8729	Eugene Eugene, Oregon Eugene is the second largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon and the seat of Lane County. It is located at the south end of the Willamette Valley, at the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast.As of the 2010 U.S...	June 23-24, 2011
100 metres	10.26 (+1.5 m/s)	Chula Vista Chula Vista, California Chula Vista is the second largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fourteenth largest city in the State of California, and the seventy seventh largest city in the U.S....	August 13, 2011
400 metres	46.28	Eugene	June 10, 2010
1500 metres	4:18.94	Daegu Daegu Daegu , also known as Taegu, and officially the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea, the fourth largest after Seoul, Busan, and Incheon, and the third largest metropolitan area in the country with over 2.5 million residents. The city is the capital and principal city of the...	August 28, 2011
110 metres hurdles	13.35 (+1.8 m/s)	Eugene	June 03, 2011
High jump	2.05	Eugene	June 25, 2009
Pole vault	5.15	Berkeley Berkeley, California Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...	May 9, 2010
Long jump	8.04 (0.8 m/s)	Austin Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...	May 27, 2010
Shot put	14.14	Eugene	June 23, 2011
Discus throw	43.71	Austin	April 1, 2010
Javelin throw	56.18	Eugene	June 24, 2011

Indoor

.

Event	Performance	Location	Date
Heptathlon	6568	Tallinn Tallinn Tallinn is the capital and largest city of Estonia. It occupies an area of with a population of 414,940. It is situated on the northern coast of the country, on the banks of the Gulf of Finland, south of Helsinki, east of Stockholm and west of Saint Petersburg. Tallinn's Old Town is in the list...	February 6, 2011
60 metres	6.66	Tallinn	February 5, 2011
60 metres hurdles	7.60	Tallinn	February 6, 2011
1000 metres	2:32.67	Fayetteville Fayetteville, Arkansas Fayetteville is the county seat of Washington County, and the third largest city in Arkansas. The city is centrally located within the county and is home to the University of Arkansas. Fayetteville is also deep in the Boston Mountains, a subset of The Ozarks...	March 13, 2010
Pole vault	5.20	Tallinn	February 6, 2011
High jump	2.11	Fayetteville	February 5, 2010
Long jump	7.77m	Tallinn	February 5, 2011
Shot put	14.45	Tallinn	February 5, 2011

External links

• USATF profile for Ashton Eaton
• University of Oregon bio: Ashton Eaton