Eaton: "I was willing to run myself into the hospital" for the Gold Medal

It was an accomplishment so great, even the sky started weeping.

Moments after University of Oregon alum Ashton Eaton defended his Olympic gold medal in the decathlon Thursday night, becoming just the third athlete in the history of the event to do so and tying the Olympic record in the process, a light shower fell through the open roof of Olympic Stadium.

Eaton had a parade anyway, galloping around the perimeter of the track, the American flag draped across his shoulders.

"I wasn't nervous. I was willing to run myself into the hospital if I had to," Eaton said. "I remember I was taking a cold shower after the javelin thinking, 'Yeah, yeah I'd do it. I'd run until then.'"

By running the 1,500 meters, the final of 10 events, in 4 minutes, 23.33 seconds, Eaton tied the Olympic record of 8,893 points set in Athens in 2004 by Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic. He also climbed into one of the most elite clubs in track and field history. He joined just Bob Mathias of the United States and Daley Thompson of Great Britain as the event's only double winners in Olympics history.

As much as Eaton, 28, was running for history, he was running for gold. France's Even Mayer pulled within 44 points on the javelin, the penultimate event, and needed to beat Eaton by just 7 seconds in the 1,500 to steal the medal. He led most of the four laps, but Eaton closed in on him in the final 200 to finish third overall.

"I wasn't nervous. I was willing to run myself into the hospital if I had to," Eaton said. "I remember I was taking a cold shower after the javelin thinking, 'Yeah, yeah I'd do it. I'd run until then.'"

Eaton, who set the world record in the decathlon at the world championships in Beijing in 2015, won the long jump and the 400 meters and took second in the 100 and the 110 meter hurdles. Still, he credited his throws for keeping him near the top. He took eighth in discus, 10th in shot put and a miserable 18th in javelin.

That's where Mayer, who placed sixth in javelin, narrowed the gap.

"I was so close to him," Mayer said. "I thought I could beat him at the javelin, but he was too strong."

"He's great, he's a role model to me. He's the reason I got into decathlon," Ziemek said. "To be able to compete with your role model is amazing."

Eaton's USA teammates Zach Ziemek and Jeremy Taiwo finished seventh and 11th with 8,392 and 8,300 points, respectively. Ziemek, 23, said he has long been inspired by Eaton. He started watching him when Eaton was still competing for the Ducks.

"He's great, he's a role model to me. He's the reason I got into decathlon," Ziemek said. "To be able to compete with your role model is amazing."

Eaton said he felt a bit frustrated to tie Sebrle for the Olympic record.

"It's like, really?" he said. "When you look at it, it's 10 events and it basically comes down to a few centimeters."

Eaton, a 2010 Oregon graduate, won't be the only one in his family bringing home a medal. His wife, Canadian heptathlete Brianne Theisen-Eaton -- a 2011 UO graduate -- won bronze on Monday.

"She is a massive, massive inspiration to me," he said. "So, for us to have done this together is ... I can't word it."

Even before he joined Matthias and Johnson in track and field lore, Eaton had become a darling of the sport, showing up in commercials for everything from Chobani Yogurt to Visa credit cards.

"I'm not quite sure what's next. It has been a pleasure doing everything I've done to this point," Eaton said. "As far as what comes after, I can't say."

He might not show up in four years to try to become the first three-time gold medalist in the sport, however. When asked his odds on returning, he replied, "less than 50 percent."

"I'm not quite sure what's next. It has been a pleasure doing everything I've done to this point," he said. "As far as what comes after, I can't say."

In other action Thursday, English Gardner and the U.S. women's 4x100 relay team qualified for Friday's final, but in a manner never before seen at the Olympic Games.

In the semifinal, the Americans dropped the baton on the second exchange between Allyson Felix and Gardner, but only after Felix was clearly bumped by a Brazilian runner, which broke Felix's momentum and prevented her from delivering the stick to Gardner.

After an appeal, the U.S. team was granted the opportunity to re-run its race and — needing to beat China's time of 42.70 to advance — the American quartet easily advanced. With Gardner on the third leg, the United States actually turned in the fastest time among all teams on Thursday at 41.76.

Also Thursday, UO alum Matthew Centrowitz made his second straight Olympic final in the men's 1,500 meters. In the semifinal, he ran near the front almost the entire distance, and finished third in 3:39.61 to automatically advance to the final.

The track and field portion of 2016 Summer Olympics continues with a school-record 17 current and former Ducks in Rio (11 on Team USA, three for Canada, and one each for Australia, Greece and Guatemala). This is the 20^th straight Olympiad in which the University of Oregon has been represented, a streak that dates to the 1932 Games in Los Angeles.

In addition to the 17 current and former Ducks competing in Rio, the head coach of the U.S. Men's Track and Field team is UO associate athletic director Vin Lananna.

Goducks.com will provide a daily Olympics version of "What to Watch," as well as a recap of Ducks in competition through the remainder of the Games.

What to Watch – Friday, August 19

English Gardner looks to lead the U.S. to a medal in the 4x100 meter relay, while Phyllis Francis has the semifinal round in the 4x400 meter relay for Team USA.

The final of the women's 4x100 relay has the United States going against long-time rivals Jamaica and Great Britain, along with a strong team from Germany. Gardner placed seventh in the Olympic 100 meters earlier this week. Also in the 4x100 meter relay pool for the United States is former Duck Jenna Prandini, who made the semifinals of the 200 meters, and Duck freshman Ariana Washington.

In the mile relay, Francis will be part of a strong contingent for the United States. Only Great Britain (3:25.05) has a faster time in the world this season than the Americans' 3:25.48. France, which is in heat one along with the United States, has the No. 3 time in the world this year at 3:25.96.

Schedule – Friday, August 19
All times Pacific
4:40 p.m. Phyllis Francis (USA) Women's 4x400 Meter Relay – Heats
6:15 p.m. English Gardner/Jenna Prandini/Ariana Washington (USA) Women's 4x100 Meter Relay – FINAL
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