Bulletin Daily Paper 08/10/12

Page 1

A SPECIAL COMMEMORATIVE SECTION • A1-2, A7-8

AUGUST 10, 2012

FRIDAY 75¢

Serving Central Oregon since 1903

HE’S GOLDEN • Bend’s Ashton Eaton wins the gold medal in the Olympic decathlon and stakes his claim as the world’s greatest athlete

Jed Jacobsohn / The New York Times

Ashton Eaton holds the American flag after finishing the 10-event decathlon, in which he win the gold medal, at the Summer Olympics in London on Thursday.

THE COMPETITION

COMMENTARY

Eaton leads a 1-2 U.S. finish

A win for Eaton is a win for Central Oregon

By Curtis Anderson The (Eugene) Register-Guard

MON-SAT

LONDON — It was moments before the 1,500 meters, the 10th and final event of the decathlon at the London Olympics on Thursday night, when Ashton Eaton and Trey Hardee came together at the starting line. The two U.S. decathletes hugged, shook hands, wished each other luck and, most important, nodded at each other with knowing glances. It was understood that this was their time. As the gun fired, and the sold-out crowd of 80,000 at Olympic Stadium erupted into a deafening roar, Eaton and Hardee circled the track with a singular goal — to represent the U.S., and the history of the decathlon, with gold and silver medals for the first time since 1956. “The 1-2 finish is what we really wanted,” said Eaton, the former standout from Bend’s Mountain View High School and a five-time NCAA champion at the University of Oregon. “There’s a really good history with U.S. decathletes. This is the 100th anniversary (of the decathlon.) It started back in 1912 with Jim Thorpe, and Trey and I are doing our best to carry it on.” There was never much doubt about Eaton’s ultimate coronation. The 24-year-old Oregon Track Club Elite athlete, who set the world record of 9,039 points at the U.S. Olympic trials at

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MARK MORICAL

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Christophe Ena / The Associated Press

United States’ Ashton Eaton celebrates as he crosses the finish line in the decathlon 1,500 meters at the Summer Olympics in London on Thursday.

Medal ceremony Olympic decathlon champion Ashton Eaton is expected to receive his gold medal in a ceremony today (7:25 p.m. London time, 11:25 a.m. PDT) at Olympic Stadium

Hayward Field in June, became the 11th American to win the decathlon gold medal with his 8,869 points.

MORE EATON COVERAGE

Hardee, the two-time reigning world champion, who is less than a year removed from reconstructive surgery of his right (throwing) elbow, took the silver medal with 8,671 points, and Cuba’s Leonel Suarez won the bronze medal with 8,523. “Ashton is the best athlete that ever walked the planet,” Hardee said. “It’s safe to say my reign is over.” It was a wire-to-wire victory for Eaton. See Eaton / A7

BREAKING DOWN THE DECATHLON: An event-by-event look at how Eaton performed on his way to gold, A2

n Oct. 15, 2004, a junior running back from Bend’s Mountain View High School named Ashton Eaton ran for 140 yards and two touchdowns while nursing a sore ankle in a 37-0 win against Crook County. Covering that Friday night football game in Prineville for The Bulletin, I approached Eaton afterward for a quick interview. “Once the adrenaline kicked in, I just went for it,” Eaton told me. “It felt natural.” It was my first interview with Ashton Eaton. Little did I know then that many more were to come in an entirely different sport. I have covered his rise as a decathlete in the eight years

since, attending one of his three NCAA championship victories for the University of Oregon, in 2010, his victory at the USA national championships in 2011, and the past two U.S. Olympic trials. Being there in person to watch him break the decathlon world record at the trials in Eugene this past June was a moment I will never forget. But seeing him win an Olympic gold medal Thursday — live on the big screen at the Tower Theatre in downtown Bend — was otherworldly. I’m sure winning the gold medal “felt natural” to Eaton, in much the same way he carried the football on that autumn night in Central Oregon years ago. Sports journalism has a rigid rule: No cheering in the press box. Well, my press box Thursday was the Tower Theatre, and I was cheering. See Oregon / A7

LOCAL REACTION: Hundreds gather in Bend to watch, A3

TIMELINE: Eaton through the years, A7


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