The greatest athlete in the world

Eaton set world decathlon record in the 100 meters on Friday

Ashton Eaton of Bend, Ore., broke the world record in the decathlon at the Olympic trials in Eugene today and can now claim the title as "the world's greatest athlete."

Eaton also owns the world record in the heptathlon.

Along the way over the past two days, Eaton set world decathlon records in the 100 meters and the long jump.

In fact, his long jump of 27 feet was better than any competitor in the long jump competition.

Obviously, Eaton also set the new American record held by Dan O'Brien, who achieved his feat 20 years ago.

Coincidentally, O'Brien hailed from another small, isolated town in Oregon: Klamath Falls.

O'Brien was on hand to congratulate Eaton on the 100th-anniversary of the Olympic decathlon event, won famously by the greatest athlete of all time, Jim Thorpe, in Stockholm, Sweden.

Like, O'Brien, Eaton is bi-racial.

Eaton becomes only the second man to cross the 9,000-point threshold and he did so under rainy conditions.

Eaton graduated from Mountain View High School in Bend and also the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he was a five-time NCAA champion.

In high school, Eaton nearly won the state title for Mountain View all by himself.

Today's record is a phenomenal achievement for Eaton that coaches in La Pine, where Eaton spent his formative years, in Bend and at UO, can all share in the moment.

Congratulations to all involved.