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.