LONDON (AP) — Ashton Eaton started off the decathlon with an Olympic-best performance in the 100 meters and kept up the momentum, jumping out to a big lead after the first day.
Eaton has a 220-point advantage over fellow American Trey Hardee through five events Wednesday.
Eaton began the morning by breaking Bill Toomey’s 44-year-old record in the 100-meter dash, finishing in 10.35 seconds. He ended it with a solid performance in the 400. In between, Eaton finished first in the long jump, 11th in the shot put and second in the high jump.
The 24-year-old from Eugene, Ore., broke the decathlon world record at the U.S. trials in June when he finished with 9,039 points. His mark eclipsed Roman Sebrle’s 11-year-old record by 13 points.
