#1 | Male Athlete of 2015

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Ashton Eaton Sets the Bar Even Higher as Greatest Athlete All Time

The No. 1 athlete of 2015 is none other than world record-holder and World Champion Ashton Eaton. Despite not completing a full decathlon in two years, the Olympic Champion improved upon his own record on the world stage in Beijing. 

The multi-event machine suffered from injury during the middle portion of the track season, and was unable to compete in the full decathlon at the USATF Outdoor Championships. The setback only proved beneficial for Eaton as he was able to focus on individual events leading up to the World Championships. Prior to Beijing, Eaton posted personal bests in the 400m and the pole vault. The period of rest enabled Eaton to enter the World Championships in peak physical condition, which led him to break his own decathlon world record by six points last August.

The two-day performance came down to the final event, the 1500m run where Eaton had to run faster than 4:18.25 in order to break the record. With an electric crowd cheering him on in the Birds Nest, Eaton ran his way to a 4:17.52. His final point total was 9,045 points. 

“I was just thinking, itÂ’s not for me so I have to go,” Eaton said while recalling his motivation heading into the race. 

“Really I was just thinking about me sitting on the couch when I was little and watching somebody like Michael Johnson or Carl Lewis jump and run, and thatÂ’s the reason IÂ’m here today. I thought maybe thereÂ’s a kid on a couch somewhere and if I break this world record they may be inspired to do something,” Eaton said. 



EatonÂ’s previous world record was completed at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials at the University of Oregon. His world record performance in Beijing included a world decathlon best in the 400m and seasonÂ’s best marks in the javelin, discus, 1500m, and 100m. 

EatonÂ’s performance landed him the honor of being named IAAF Athlete of the Year. The decathlete accepted the award by congratulating his fellow nominees, Christian Taylor and Usain Bolt with a heartfelt post on Twitter. 

My thoughts below. Thank you everyone. pic.twitter.com/W1R4IojZiY

— Ashton Eaton (@AshtonJEaton) November 26, 2015

“In those types of situations, you can’t really have a winner and a loser…I definitely don’t think that I beat any of those guys, it’s just not possible, but it was cool to be among them and be part of the sport,” Eaton told FloTrack following the honor.