Ashton Eaton

When I'm later in the competition, I get antsy. I'm seeing everybody else go and achieve things. It's like I'm just twiddling my thumbs.

You see somebody on a football field make a great, athletic 70-yard run, but the athleticism is immeasurable. It's undoubtedly athletic, but compared to somebody else who did something else, how do you compare it? That's the great part of track and field. It's a test, but with results that you can compare to others.

I don't have one specific person that I think is the most athletic person.

Rather than realizing immediate physiological gain, the challenge is more about reducing the mental attrition from the two days to maximize each event.

I want to see where I measure up against everyone in the world and everyone who has ever competed in the sport, and there's that innate sense of wanting to challenge myself. I'm competitive in all aspects.

The thing I like about decathlon is also the thing I dislike: It's the maximum challenge, but also the maximum frustration.

I think a challenge for myself is to see how many times I can get above 9,000. That would be a good challenge.

I haven't seen kids in years who have holes in the knees of their jeans. Now you go buy jeans with holes in them.

It's about not going to the well all the time. The body has limits. The mind has limits, too.

I was one of those kids who, everything I tried sports-related, I liked.

Even though decathlon is really long, there's always something different to look forward to, which is great for mental stimulation.

I dated my first girlfriend for, like, two weeks in high school, and when you're in high school, it's so much different. I wanted to hang out with my friends and play video games and play paintball and do guy stuff. Girls were never around for my friends group.