Ian Walton/Getty Images for IAAFJust thinking about what Ashton Eaton is going to be doing today in Rio is exhausting. Not to mention what he's then going to do tomorrow.
That's probably because most mere mortals can only imagine the amount of training that goes into achieving the heights that the 28-year-old track and field star has reached—namely, as the defending gold medalist in the Olympic decathlon, he's widely considered the reigning greatest athlete in the world.
Competing with a left quad injury and a tweaked right ankle (and tight right hamstring), Ashton still dominated at the U.S. Olympic trials last month in Oregon, beating second-place Jeremy Taiwo by 325 points.
So before he kicks off his shot at repeating the glory of 2012, which would make him the first decathlete to do so since Daley Thompson in 1984, we wanted to know what makes the Team USA standout tick.
And before he headed off to Rio, Ashton helped us find out just that by filling out our E!Q.
That's so funny—Ashton's competition schedule in Rio was the last thing we Googled, too!
Also on the chiseled athlete's plate earlier this year was a bit of modeling, perhaps an unavoidable result of maintaining the level of fitness that allowed him to win decathlon gold at the 2013 and 2015 World Championships, as well as heptathlon gold at the 2014 and 2016 Indoor World Championships.
And it wasn't just any modeling gig at that: He shared the cover of Vogue's August 2016 issue with Gigi Hadid, his physique coming close to overshadowing the It Girl—and he admitted later that he didn't initially realize who Gigi was at their photo shoots.
"Hmm. Probably not good that I asked her 'Have you done a lot of these shoots or are you fairly new at them?'" he poked fun at himself via Instagram when the cover came out this summer.
But he's no stranger to being in front of a camera, for print and TV ad campaigns. Eaton also signed up with Gillette this past spring, the shaving brand adding to his impressive sponsorship and endorsement haul that includes Nike, Visa and Coca-Cola.
Speaking of which, Ashton and wife Brianne Theison-Eaton, who won the pentathlon at this year's Indoor World Championships, have also been sporting QALO rings—which are made of silicon and therefore are perfect for married athletes who are particular about their accessories. The scheduling gods happily allowed Ashton to be in the stands, cheering Brianne along, as she competed for her native Canada in the heptathlon in Rio.
But now it's his turn.
Eaton started defending his gold at the crack of dawn today, starting with the 100-meter dash. Next on the agenda for Wednesday: long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 meters, followed by the 110-meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500-meter run on Thursday.
Anyone else feel like hitting the gym? Best of luck to Ashton Eaton in Rio!