Ashton Eaton
MOSCOW — Brittney Reese won her sixth international title since 2009 and Team USA brought home gold in the decathlon for the eighth time in World Championships history as Ashton Eaton maintained his title as World’s Greatest Athlete, winning with 8809 points on the second day of competition Sunday at the 2013 World Outdoor Championships at Luzhniki Stadium.
The World Championships boast nearly 50 hours of television coverage in the U.S. with broadcasts airing during all nine days of competition. View the complete broadcast schedule here.
Team USA is at the top of the medal table with two golds and one silver and leads the team scoring ahead of Kenya and Ethiopia.
Reese (Chula Vista, Calif.) became one of Team USA’s most-decorated athletes, continuing her undefeated championships streak in the women’s long jump. She moved into first for good on her second jump, breaking the seven-meter barrier with a leap of 7.01m/23-0. Tori Polk (Waco, Texas) finished eighth at 6.73m/22-1, and Janay Deloach Soukup (Fort Collins, Colo.) leapt 6.44m/21-1.5 to finish 11th.
After good performances earlier in the day in the hurdles and discus, Eaton (Bend, Ore.) jumped a season best 5.20m/17-0.75 in the pole vault and extended his lead to 181 points. His third-round javelin throw of 64.83m/212-8, a decathlon PR, virtually assured him of gold, carrying a 168-point lead into the 1500m. A leisurely and careful 4:29.80 gave Eaton a world title to go with his Olympic gold and world record.
Gunnar Nixon (Edmond, Okla.), who was second after day one, finished 13th with a PR of 8312 points. Nixon cleared 4.60m/15-1 in the pole vault, and followed up with a 57.97m/190-2 effort in the javelin and a 4:35.82 in the 1500m.
In the men’s 100m final, Justin Gatlin (Clermont, Fla.) had a great start in the rain and took silver in a season-best 9.85 behind Usain Bolt’s 9.77. Michael Rodgers (Round Rock, Texas) was sixth, crossing the line in 10.04. Gatlin’s silver was the 19th medal won by an American man in the 100m in World Championships history.
Earlier in the day, Gatlin ran 9.94 to advance while Rodgers ran 9.93 to claim his lane in the final.
In the women’s discus final, Gia Lewis-Smallwood (Champaign, Ill.) gave a solid effort to finish fifth at 64.23m/210-8 in her first appearance in a global championship final. Lewis-Smallwood equalled the best finish ever by an American woman.
Shalane Flanagan (Portland, Ore.) was Team USA’s best finisher in the women’s 10,000m placing eighth at 31:34.83. Flanagan took off after 250 meters and led the pack during the first 3600m, but fell off the pace and drifted back when the tempo picked up. Jordan Hasay (Portland, Ore.) ran 32:17.93 to finish 12th and Amy Hastings (Providence, R.I.) was 14th in 32:51.19.
Competing in his fifth world championship, Tim Seaman (Chula Vista, Calif.) finished the 20 km race walk 53rd at 1:36:35.
In prelims earlier in the evening, Jenn Suhr (Churchville, N.Y.) cleared 4.55m/14-11 in the women’s pole vault to move to the final. Becky Holliday (Jonesboro, Ark.) did not advance after jumping 4.45m/14-7.25, while Kylie Hutson (Terre Haute, Ind.) failed to clear her opening height.
Duane Solomon (Los Angeles, Calif.) led from the gun in heat one of the men’s 800m semi-final going through 400m in 50.67. He extended his lead in the backstretch and went on to win in 1:43.87, the fastest time ever in a semifinal at the World Championships. Nick Symmonds (Springfield, Ore.) advanced by finishing second in heat three at 1:45.00. Brandon Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) was passed in the final 10 meters of the second heat, finishing third in 1:44.89 but did not advance.
Natasha Hastings and Francena McCorory both advanced to Monday’s women’s 400m final. Hastings (Atlanta, Ga.) finished second in her heat matching her season-best 49.94 while McCorory (Hampton, Va.) crossed the line first with a personal best 49.86 in heat three. Ashley Spencer (Indianapolis, Ind.) was fifth in heat one with a time of 51.80 and did not advance.
