The king of the decathlon

Reigning Olympic and two-time defending world champion (2013, 2015), Ashton Eaton is the undisputed king of the decathlon.

At 28, the American world record holder (9,045 points) is widely considered the greatest combined-event athlete of all time. It is hard to see anyone denying him another gold in Rio.

As a youngster, Eaton tried his hand at various sports before settling on athletics. He began to compete in the decathlon in 2008, although his records in long jump (8.23m) and 400m (45.00) prove that he could have excelled in individual disciplines.

In March 2016, Eaton (heptathlon) and his wife Brianne Theisen-Eaton (pentathlon) became the first married couple to win golds at the same world championships, in his home city of Portland, Oregon.