Will Canadian medallist Brianne Theisen-Eaton copy her husband’s move and wear a USA hat while he competes?
Ashton Eaton and Brianne Theisen-Eaton are one of the few married couples that both get to compete at the Olympics. The heptathlete and decathlete are both representing their countries in Rio. Brianne has already won a bronze medal for Canada and tomorrow, Ashton starts the decathlon.
Tomorrow morning marks the beginning of the men’s decathlon at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The 10-event feat takes place over two days with five events in each.
Kicking off the battle tomorrow morning is the 100m sprint which is to take place on the track at 8:30 a.m. Following that will be long jump, shot put, high jump and a 400m lap of the track to round out the day.
The women’s equivalent already finished up on Sunday evening when Canada’s Brianne Theisen-Eaton won a bronze medal for Canada. It was Canada’s first medal in an athletics event at this Olympics and she has proven to the country yet again that she is one of the best.
But in that two-day competition, one thing that made news in Canada and the U.S. was that Theisen-Eaton’s husband, Ashton Eaton (an American and the record holder in the decathlon) cheered her on from the stands while wearing Canadian apparel. His red Canada hat caught our attention. While fellow Canadian track fans loved it, some of our neighbours to the south were not so impressed. Many called the decathlete a traitor for not wearing the apparel of his country. Others complained that he could have just worn a “Team Brianne” hat.
His retaliated in a witty response saying that he has represented his country well.
Theisen-Eaton is Canada and comes from Saskatchewan while her husband, Ashton Eaton, is American by birth. The two met in school at the University of Oregon. Since tomorrow is the start of Ashton’s event now, we’re waiting to see how Brianne supports him during her turn sitting in the stands. Will she wear a USA hat? (We’re cool with it if she does.)
Watching for Damian Warner
But putting this heart-warming track and field romance aside for a moment, one big thing to watch for is Canadian Damian Warner’s performance tomorrow. While Eaton has the record, Warner is sure to make him work in this competition. Warner has proven that he is better than Eaton is four of the 10 events– including tomorrow’s kickoff event. Warner is a strong 100m runner and can out sprint Eaton. In fact, he runs a 10.15 100m which is also the decathlon world record.
The other events that Warner’s personal bests outdo Eaton’s are high jump, 100m hurdles and discus throw. He’s for sure one talented athlete to watch, is likely to win a win for Canada and could even take the gold. Stay tuned to our reports and live tweets on Twitter to keeps tabs on the action.
RELATED: The non runner’s guide to the heptathlon and decathlon
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Will #CAN‘s @btheiseneaton return the favour and wear a #USA hat when husband @AshtonJEaton competes? #FashionPolice https://t.co/vpSCVE6gmp
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 14, 2016
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