Ashton Eaton of the United States won the Olympic gold medal Thursday in the decathlon. Eaton defeated fellow-American and silver medalist Trey Hardee by 198 points over the two-day, 10-event competition. Cuba\'s Leonel Suarez took the bronze, finishing 148 points behind Hardee. Eaton became the second consecutive American athlete to win the event, joining 2008 gold medalist Bryan Clay.