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Eugene Olympians Ashton Eaton and Brianne-Theisen Eaton Announce Retirement

Goducks.com

Two-time Olympic gold medal winner Ashton Eaton has announced he is retiring from track and field. His wife, bronze-medalist, Brianne Theisen-Eaton is also retiring. The 28-year old couple made the announcement via statements on their websiteWednesday.

The former University of Oregon track star won gold in the decathlon at the 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games — as well as several world championships.

Eaton said it had been ten years since he began competing in the decathalon, and it was a fitting time to move on. He didn’t specify his plans. But he updated his Twitter profile to say “Being the 1st person on Mars would be cool,” and said Elon Musk, founder of Space X, was one of his inspirations.

He acknowledged his Oregon roots in his statement, saying he is a product of Portland, La Pine, Bend, and the University of Oregon. He thanked those communities for, as he put it, fostering possibility.

Eaton’s wife, Brianne  Theisen-Eaton, also announced her retirement from track and field in the same statement. She says she reached a point of exhaustion in the sport after winning a bronze medal at the 2016 Olympics.

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