ODE: How’s your long jump working out for you right now? Are you where you want to be?
Ashton Eaton: It’s going good. I’m not where I want to be on distance, but I am where I want to be for form.
ODE: You used to play football in high school. What did you think of the NFL Draft? Who would your No. 1 pick have been?
Eaton: JaMarcus Russell.
ODE: What’s your favorite NFL team?
Eaton: Awww, man. Let’s see. I’d have to say the Caroline Panthers. They’ve got Steve Smith. He’s really fast, I like him. And they have DeShaun Foster, I like him too.
ODE: What was your 40-yard dash time when you were playing football?
Eaton: 4.40.
ODE: Do you have any pre-race ritual before you run?
Eaton: Not really. But as far as getting in the blocks, I have a routine I do every time. I stand in front of the blocks, shake my legs out a bit. If everyone’s taking too long I wait, because I don’t want to be in the blocks too long. Because you’re in such a scrunched position.
ODE: If you could run against anyone at all in sprints, who would you want to go up against?
Eaton: I think I’d like to compete against Michael Johnson. Even though I’d get smoked, I still think it’d be fun to do.
ODE: Best thing about being a Duck?
Eaton: Hayward Field. After traveling to all these places, it’s just different energy. Nowhere rivals Hayward Field.