Ashton Eaton the best Decathlon-heptathlon runner in the World (8)

Interesting post!
Eaton will be the next WR holder (prediction!)

i agree completely but it will take him a few years but the thing is he has time.
at first i always thought it would be clay but he has missed his time i think and but maybe next year he could surprise.
here is why i think eaton could be the next record holder!
1) he has something seblre said you need and that is the ability to do 3 decathlons a year for 3 years and stay healthy then he said someone would then be ready to break it with the right potential
Eaton has proven so far he can stay healthy and be very durable
2) he has something no one else has and it is above... all of the running events no one else runs 10.3 and 4:20 since daley thompson a former world record holder or close anyways
3) time... as for now time is on his side as a decathlete he is only gonna get stronger in the throws with more time and reps he will better his throws and he is only 22. also clay just pred in the 100 and he is 30! i think he still has more in the tank as far as his running goes

Still an interesting topic.
1st place: Eaton has set the ceiling higher and higher since.
2 nd place: Since wind assisted marks are included: Ladji DOUCOURE
100m 10.45 +4.3 Montgeron (FRA) 12.05.2007 (http://www.all-athletics.com/node/30875)
But where are his 1500m 4:26,53 min from? (various sources have him with a PB of 4:33,43, Arles, 2001)

For Doucouré :

PB on 1500m with 4.26.53 made during a nonathlon U18 (6707 8-9/7/2000 Saint-Etienne)
PB on 1000m with 2.46.09 made during a pentathlon indoor U18 (4145 13/02/2000)

Thanks Daniel Urien!

Interesting, that decadeca.... in 2010 already knew what happened recently (WR Ashton Eaton).
I've to give, that I haven't been convinced until last spring.

Interesting to note that Doucouré basically gave up combined events in 2002 at age 19 so (except hurdles), all of his PB's were established as a 17y/18y old. I haven't got data to support this assumption but I think he would be a runaway leader of the U19 list:
10.48 (18) 46.82 (18) 13.58 (18) 6.78 (17) 7.68 (18) 4.26.53 (17)

Having lost the highly talented Doucoure to the specialists (in USA it probably would have been to american football) is another frustrating statement that the dosage form of decathlon does not fit anymore in an era where sports offers the most talented athletes to financially solve lifetime problems in a few years for the rest of their life.
It is funny that athletes appreciate a lot what decathletes do accomplish (other athletes in germany recently gave Pascal Behenbruch athlete of the month honors) while some ordonary people still say "yes decathlon that is the thing with riding, swimming, ... .
Ordonary people do want entertainment - and that is OK. They are the ones who should pay the money (directly or indirectly) to enable top talented decathletes to become/ remain decathletes. People like stories whether it is news, cinema or what else.
We need to find a way to present decathlon in an entertaining way where nothing is taken away from the accompishment including the preparation for and the endurance of a decathlon without compelling ordonary people to invest 2 days to follow a story where from their point of view very little happens. I'm sure that there is an unbelievable amount of talented athletes who'd in priciple would be interested in the challenge of the decathlon, but who simply go in another direction with an economical perspective.
The only positive thing is that due to current "non profit" circumstances it is no random accident that the best decathlete of the world does not act as the clown the best overall earning track and field athlete acts.

Speaking of Doucouré, he gave up combined events because of recurring tendinitis in his left knee, nothing else. He chose to focus on hurdling because he was afraid his body would not be able to sustain the high volume training of a decathlete. The run of injuries he suffered post-2006 proved him right in that regard.
But you are right that a lot of great athletes have been lost to other sports due to financial considerations.