Ashton Eaton breaks world record, wins decathlon gold

BEIJING – This was going to hurt. No way around it for Ashton Eaton.

To get where the American decathlete wanted to go, he had to endure just a little more pain, dig just a little deeper. So Eaton gritted his teeth and charged ahead, grimacing as he stepped over a low railing and into the stands to wrap his exhausted arms around his wife.

That was about all the strength he had left. Setting a world record takes that much out of you.

With an all-out run in the final event, the 1,500 meters, Eaton finished the two-day event with 9,045 points on Saturday at the world championships. It was six points better than the mark he set at U.S. Olympic Trials in 2012.

“It’s like, ‘Where do you find the inner strength?’ I don’t know,” he said. “But I think the important thing is to search for it.”

The 27-year-old Eaton hasn’t completed a full decathlon since capturing the world title in Moscow two years ago. That was also the last time he ran a 1,500.

But in the 10th and final event, with his Achilles and knee throbbing and the record within reach, he went for it. Eaton needed to finish in 4 minutes, 18.25 seconds to earn enough points. He used a faster runner, Larbi Bourrada of Algeria, to pace him. And with the finish line in sight, Eaton pushed even harder.

He crossed the line, looked at the clock almost in disbelief – 4:17.52. Only, he didn’t have the energy to raise his hands. The only thing he could do was drop to the track, where he sprawled across two lanes. The runners finishing up the event carefully avoided stepping on him.

Eaton threw the javelin 208 feet, 9 inches, not his best, but a mark that put him within striking distance going into the grueling 1,500.

Also on Saturday, Usain Bolt anchored the Jamaican team to a big win in the 4x100 relay in 37.36 seconds, and was followed across the line by the United States and China, giving the host nation its first medal in the 4x100 at a major international meet. When the U.S. team was disqualified for an illegal baton exchange, China was elevated to silver and Canada got a bronze.

The American men have been somewhat cursed in the relay over the last two decades, either being disqualified or failing to finish eight times at the worlds or Olympics.