• Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Login
  • Register
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
No Result
View All Result
No Result
View All Result
Home Track & Field

The Incredible Theater of the Decathlon at the 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials, by Elliot Denman, note by Larry Eder

RBR AdminbyRBR Admin
June 24, 2012
0
0 0
0
SHARES
2
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

The decathlon yesterday gave us a World record of 9039, by Ashton Eaton. In attendance were all the living US Olympic gold medalists in the decathlon. Also, many of the top coaches, including Fred Samara and Harry Marra, the coach of Ashton Eaton.

Elliot Denman, wrote his column on the depth of the decathlon and the increadible human theater that encompasses the ten events.

Clay-Eaton-HardeeHH-OlyT12.JPGClay, Eaton, Hardee, 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
Photo by PhotoRun.net


By ELLIOTT DENMAN

EUGENE, OREGON
June 23, 2012

What drama, what glories,what ups, what  downs.

What good, great and  even greater stuff – along with, darn-it,  some downers – in between.

What incredible theater this 2012 Olympic Trials decathlon truly was.

Some say it was straight out of Hollywood. Others counter that Hollywood couldn’t really script  anything this good.

As the scenario evolved, one man, Ashton Eaton, was proving himself the finest  all-around athlete on the planet, another man, Bryan Clay, who’d once held the same designation – and had all the Wheaties boxes to prove it – was headed for the exits.

RelatedPosts

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial, Some deep thoughts on Another epic 1,500m race…

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial Diary, Thoughts on Brits in Brussels…

2023 Allianz Memorial Van Damme Diary, the excitement of Brussels

Clay-Eaton-Hardee100M-USOlyTr12.jpgClay, Eaton, Hardee in the 100m, 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
Photo by PhotoRun.net


The numbers prove everything: 10.21, 8.23. 14.20, 2.05, 46.70, 13.70, 42.81, 5.30, 58.37, 4:14.98, 9,039, 6-22-23-12.

The Enigma Code?

No, that’s what the astounding Eaton did in two sizzling day at Hayward Field.

Yes, sizzling, even though it seemed to be raining half the time.

No human had ever done better than 10.64, 8.11, 15.33, 2.12, 47.79, 13.92, 47.97, 4.80, 70.16, 4:21.98,    9,026, 5-26-27-01.

That was the Czech Republic’s Roman Seberle.

No one else had ever cracked the 9,000 figure before.  But now that it’s cracked, look for Eaton, that  marvel from Mountain View (Oregon) to continue shredding it into further oblivion.

Seberle was rightfully called the best of the best of the  best when he did it. He’d  carried that crown with major modesty for the last 11 years.

Now the do-it-all Eaton has proven this Noblest Roman Of Them All merely mortal.

Clay surely will go down in the deca-books as one of the all-timers.

No one has yet won three Olympic decathlon medals. And Clay (gold medalist in 2008, silver medalist in 2004) was surely headed in that direction.

Until his run-in with disaster.

A subpar 51.21  400 meters concluding Friday’s action indicated that something in Clay’s readiness quotient was in big-time disarray.

And then the tremors  truly struck,

At the 9.30 am kickoff to the decathlon’s second day, the 110-meter high hurdles paved Clay’s way to disasterland.

A false start had sent the whole starting field into a sour mood. The gun went off with the four-man field intact, but Clay was never really in contention to catch Eaton.

Now, shock loomed at the ninth hurdle.  Clay clobbered it, somehow kept his footing, but crashed into the 10th barrier and seemed to push it over with his hands, never a legal thing to do.

Clay_BryanHH1d-USOlyT12.jpgClay hits the 10th hurdle, 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
Photo by PhotoRun.net


At first announcement, this merited a DQ from the event and zero points, meaning there’d be no way in the world he could recoup this lost territory. But then the DQ was un-DQ’d and he was credited with 644  points.

So this kept him in the running – in everywhere but his head.

In the next-up discus throw, Clay – usually a sensational disco-whirler thrower for a smaller man – got off no legal throws and thus, for real this time, zero points. After that hurdles thing, his mind “just wasn’t into it.”

And so he was done for.

His subpar numbers at this fate-filled meet: 10.45, 7.40, 15.63, 1.96, that 15.21, that 16.81, that zero, 4.80, 66.80, 5:09.62, 7,092.

That eventually finished him in 12th place, and nowhere close to London.
The deca-world  will continue to await its first-ever three-time Olympic medalist.

Eaton won an amazing seven of the 10 deca-events outright, decimating deca-marks right and left. He opened with deca-world records in the 100 and long jump. And kept right on rolling.
 
Look for him to score past 9,100, into the 92s, maybe 93s before he hangs ’em up.

Which, hopefully, won’t be for eons. Or at least the Games of three more Olympiads beyond ’12.

Appropriately, his support team is highest quality and will keep him going – forever, let us hope.

His personal coach, Harry Marra, knows these 10 events frontways, backways and sideways.

His legions of U. of O.-based fans –  “once a Duck, always a Duck” they proclaim – are world-class.

Even the other deca-men – who may never ever breathe a threat to him from here on out – get behind his cause.

As the final lap of the 1500 unfolded, it was the other decathletes who wished him on-on-on more than any others on the premises. Duke man Curtis Beach respectfully waved him on past in the final meters of the 1500, his personal contribution to deca-history.

Eaton_Ashton1500M-OlyT12.JPGAshton Eaton 1500m, 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials
Photo by PhotoRun.net


He chief urger – up on high kin the Hayward Field stands – was Mr. Decathlon himself, Professor Frank Zarnowski (Mount St. Mary’s/ Dartmouth) – reminding  the fans and everyone else on the premises just how much time he’d need to decimate the deca-books.
 
From the beginning, Fred Samara knew that something big was in the works, Here’s another man who should know. Twice a National deca-king and a 1976 Olympian, the Princeton coach had told folks befoe it all started that “there’s no doubt in my mind that Eaton is getting that world record.”

He may not have had his numbers down pat, but he sure did have the general idea.

All this was perfect timing from yet another angle.

The Olympic decathlon was first staged at Stockholm in 1912; the winner Mr. Jim Thorpe himself.

So on this centennial celebration of decatlhonship, the USATF and Oregon Trials organizers made sure that Jim Thorpe’s children were in the stands to see this theater unfold.

And in their company for this command performance were  past USA Olympic deca-kings Milton Campbell, Rafer Johnson, Bill Toomey, Bruce Jenner and Dan O’Brien.

The late Glenn Morris and the late  Bob Mathias would surely have loved this show, too.  Along with Rafer Johnson, they went on Hollywood roles.

Will the Ashton Eaton story ever make the big screen? Or even the smaller version?

As Eaton heads to London, we’ll tell you that he  deserves an invitation to Hollywood, too.

Bryan Clay deserves such celebrity treatment as well.

Likely, this was the final decathlon of his oh-so-brilliant career.

It’s not the exit he would have planned.

It was downright debilitating to the morale of those who’ve tracked his
sports career this past decade.

Truth be told, it was a downright awful way to hang ’em up.

Yup-yup-yup, it was saddening.

Bruce Jenner, for one, keeps busy filming reality shows. But his kind of reality could never match up with this version.  As we told you at the top of this essay, this was the real-real-real thing.

Really-really-really.

Author

  • RBR Admin
    RBR Admin

    View all posts

Previous Post

Amy Hastings Realizes Olympic Dream in 10,000 victory, by Mark Winitz, California Track & Running News, note by Larry Eder

Next Post

Dee Dee At The Doorstep, Olympic Team Berth Would Complete Comeback, by Dave Hunter, note by Larry Eder

RBR Admin

RBR Admin

Similar Post

Uncategorized

The Greatest Moments in Track & Field

October 3, 2023
The Budapest 2023 World Champs are Underway…

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racing, Week 4, Day 2, Tempo!

October 3, 2023
Coffee With Larry, Nike Pre Classic, Some Deep thoughts on 2023 version

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racining Program, Week 4, day 1, Monday is recovery…

October 3, 2023
NUGUSE SMASHES AMERICAN RECORD FOR THE MILE: 3:43.97

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Running Week 3, Day 7, a long run on Sundays…

October 2, 2023
Coffee with Larry, Brussels DL continues was totally Impressive!

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial, Some deep thoughts on Another epic 1,500m race…

September 30, 2023
2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial Diary, Thoughts on Brits in Brussels…
Wanda Diamond League

2023 Allianz Van Damme Memorial Diary, Thoughts on Brits in Brussels…

September 30, 2023

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to RunBlogRun's Global News Feed

Wake up to RunBlogRun’s news in your inbox. Sign up for our newsletter and we’ll keep you informed about the Sport you love.

*we hate spam as much as you do

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

August 27, 2023
An epic pole vault competition

An epic pole vault competition

August 26, 2023
2022 USATF Outdoor Champs: Melissa Jefferson takes the Women’s 100m title in windy 10.69!

The curious case of Sha’Carri Richardson: How can the sprinter turn around her career?

February 8, 2023
Reborn Sha’Carri Richardson comes back from the brink and is now ready to become the world champion

Reborn Sha’Carri Richardson comes back from the brink and is now ready to become the world champion

July 17, 2023
What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

7
Asafa Powell, Considering Longevity in Sprinting

The RunBlogrun Interview: Asafa Powell

5
2022 Munich Diary, Day Five, a Great Friday Night

2023 European Athletics Indoor Champs, The Women’s 60m, who will win the final tonight?

5
TCS New York City Marathon Broadcast to be Available in More Than 530 Million Homes Around the World on Sunday, November 6

RunblogRun Editorial: The Sorry State of Running Television Coverage, by Peter Abraham, note by Larry Eder

4

The Greatest Moments in Track & Field

October 3, 2023
The Budapest 2023 World Champs are Underway…

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racing, Week 4, Day 2, Tempo!

October 3, 2023
Coffee With Larry, Nike Pre Classic, Some Deep thoughts on 2023 version

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racining Program, Week 4, day 1, Monday is recovery…

October 3, 2023
NUGUSE SMASHES AMERICAN RECORD FOR THE MILE: 3:43.97

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Running Week 3, Day 7, a long run on Sundays…

October 2, 2023

Popular Stories

  • USATF / Day Four:  USA’s Assembled Team Is Ready!

    Abby Steiner replies via twitter, on the curiosity about her new professional running contract

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • An epic pole vault competition

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • The curious case of Sha’Carri Richardson: How can the sprinter turn around her career?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Reborn Sha’Carri Richardson comes back from the brink and is now ready to become the world champion

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What happened to the crowd at Eugene?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Uncategorized

The Greatest Moments in Track & Field

October 3, 2023
The Budapest 2023 World Champs are Underway…

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racing, Week 4, Day 2, Tempo!

October 3, 2023
Coffee With Larry, Nike Pre Classic, Some Deep thoughts on 2023 version

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Racining Program, Week 4, day 1, Monday is recovery…

October 3, 2023
NUGUSE SMASHES AMERICAN RECORD FOR THE MILE: 3:43.97

2023 RunBlogRun Fall Cross Country Training & Running Week 3, Day 7, a long run on Sundays…

October 2, 2023

Recent Tweets

Next Post

Dee Dee At The Doorstep, Olympic Team Berth Would Complete Comeback, by Dave Hunter, note by Larry Eder

runblogrun

RunBlogRun comments on the global world of athletics, sports & ethics, and the Olympic movement. @runblogrun

Browse by Category

Newsletter

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

  • Home
  • Archive
  • Contact Us

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

No Result
View All Result
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Home page
  • My Account
  • Sample Page

© 2022 Run Blog Run - All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

Select a password for yourself. (minimum length of 8)

Paste here the user biography.

Provide here the twitter screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the instagram screen name. i.e. @RunBlogRun

Provide here the facebook profile URL. i.e. http://www.facebook.com/RunBlogRun

Provide here the linkedin profile URL. i.e. https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-eder-5497253

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist