The Tower Theatre was packed with people there to cheer on Ashton Eaton as he won the gold medal for the Olympic Decathlon.

When he crossed the finish line of the final event, the 1500 meter run, there was a hush while times and points were tabulated to verify that Ashton had indeed captured the gold; and then a standing "O" and wild cheers erupted. He can now claim to be the "World's Best Athlete."

Dave Hood, Mountain View Athletic Director and Track Coach says the support of the community is overwhelming, and they are planning a celebration with Ashton soon.  "Thanks the community for getting behind the world's greatest athlete. Unbelievable. And we want to bring him home  to Central Oregon and celebrate the gold medal with him, here, hopefully here in the fall."

Hood says Ashton was destined for greatness:  “He's had a long history here. He was a freshman in 2003 [at Mountain View High School], graduated in 2006. And we hooked him up with the University of Oregon; they loved him and the rest is history. It’s just faster than we thought would be happening."

Eaton won three events and placed high in the others.  Fellow American athlete, Trey Hardee took the silver medal.  It's the first time since 1956 that the U.S. went gold and silver in the decathlon.