INDIANAPOLIS --- Ashton Eaton earns USATF Athlete of the Week honors after he broke his own world record in the decathlon to win gold at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing.
 
Eaton (Eugene, Oregon) scored 9,045 points, winning by a margin of more than 300 points as he set a world decathlon best of 45.00 in the 400 meters at the end of Day 1, breaking a record that had stood for more than 40 years. Eaton also set a world decathlon meet record in the opening event, the 100-meter hurdles, running 10.23 for 1,040 points, just .02 off his lifetime best.
 
“I have a lot of people who believe in me,” said Eaton after his historic win. “My coach, my physio, my wife, my family (are) all here and they said, ‘Hey! You can do this!’ And I said, ‘Alright. I believe you. I’ll do it for you.’”
 
Late on Day 2, Eaton needed an impressive showing in the javelin, as he was just 45 points off WR pace. He responded with a colossal opening throw, launching the spear 63.63m/208-9 to put him 27 points ahead of his world record pace from 2012 and providing him a cushion heading into the final decathlon event of the evening.
 
“The first day, you’re an athlete,” said Eaton after his record setting win. “Anybody can do it. The second day, you’re a decathlete.”
 
Other notable performances include:
 
●      Allyson Felix (Los Angeles, California) won three medals at IAAF World Championships, extending her legacy as one of the most successful female athletes in IAAF history after her first-place finish of 49.26 in the 400 meters for the U.S. Team’s only sprint gold medal. Felix also won silver in the 4x100m relay with a stellar effort on the second leg, as well as silver in the 4x400m relay with a 47.72 split that made up a 15-meter deficit and was the fastest of the day. Felix is one of only two U.S. athletes to compete in three events, and she has the second-highest medal count in World Championships history with 13, nine of them gold.
●      Christian Taylor (Fayetteville, Georgia) won gold in men’s triple jump at IAAF World Championship, where he set an American record of 18.21m/59-9, just missing the world record which has stood for 20 years. Taylor’s jump is the second-farthest in history and the best by any man in 2015.
●      Tianna Bartoletta (Tampa, Florida) unleashed a world-leading and personal best 7.14m/23-5.25 in the final round to earn the gold medal in women’s long jump at IAAF World Championships 10 years after taking the crown in 2005 at the event in Helsinki.
●      Joe Kovacs (Nazareth, Pennsylvania) won Team USA’s first gold medal of World Championships after he tossed 21.93m/71-11.5 in the shot put on his fifth attempt to defeat two-time defending champion David Storl of Germany.
 
Now in its 14th year, USATF’s Athlete of the Week program is designed to recognize outstanding performers at all levels of the sport. USATF names a new honoree each week and features the athlete on www.usatf.org. Selections are based on top performances and results from the previous week.
 
2015 Winners: January 15, Chris Derrick; January 21, Demi Payne; January 28, Casimir Loxsom; February 4, Anselm LeBourne; February 11, Jenny Simpson; February 18, Brycen Spratling; February 25, Maksim Korolev; March 4, Shannon Rowbury; March 11, Mary Norckauer; March 18, Daloria Boone; March 25, Irene Obera; April 2, Michael Stigler; April 8, Allen Woodard; April 15, Joe Kovacs; April 22, Vashti Cunningham; April 29, Jasmin Stowers; May 6, Sanya Richards-Ross; May 13, Bernard Lagat; May 20, Christian Taylor; May 27, David Oliver; June 3, Joe Kovacs; June 10, Grant Fisher; June 17, Ben True; June 24, Candace Hill; July 1, Justin Gatlin; July 8, Evan Jager; July 15, Christian Taylor; July 22, Shannon Rowbury; July 29, Anthony Bailey; August 5, Harrison Williams; August 12, Flo Meiler; September 2, Ashton Eaton.
 
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Note: Much of this release was compiled from the event recap found here.