Ashton Eaton, who was born and raised in Bend, Oregon, can now claim to be the greatest athlete in the world. Sure, he may not be the best at some competitions, but he was the best of the best in London.
Eaton competed in 10 events over the course of the last 36 hours, including: a 100m race, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m race, 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500m run. That's a ton of events in a very short period of time, pushing each athlete to his limits every couple of hours.
Points are awarded in each event. Depending on how high you place, the more points you receive. Eaton won a gold medal with 8,869 points, which was 198 points more than fellow countryman and silver medal winner, Trey Hardee. Suarez Leonel of Cuba won bronze with 8,523 points.
Eaton's victory capped off what was a very, very successful day for Americans competing in London.
Stick with the SB Nation Seattle StoryStream for more coverage of local athletes at the 2012 Olympic Games. For more on the 2012 Olympic Games, make sure that you check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympics hub.