LONDON (AP) ― Instead of one victory lap, Ashton Eaton got four.

His Olympic gold medal in the decathlon was all but sealed when he reached the last event, the 1,500 meters, where he simply needed to finish in an average time to win the event on Thursday night.

The world-record holder cruised over the four laps, crossed the line and fell to the track ― partly of exhaustion but mostly out of elation.

Eaton finished the two-day competition with 8,869 points to defeat fellow American Trey Hardee by 198. It’s the first time the Americans have gone 1-2 in the Olympic decathlon since Milton Gray Campbell and Rafer Johnson in 1956.

“That’s what Trey and I really, really wanted,” said Eaton.

Especially this year, on the 100th anniversary of the event. At the 1912 Olympics, Jim Thorpe won the inaugural title.

Thanks to Eaton, the decathlon gold is staying in the United States. Eaton joins 2008 winner Bryan Clay and, of course, Bruce Jenner, in earning the honor as “The World’s Greatest Athlete.”

Even Usain Bolt, the star of the night with his victory in the 200 meters, was impressed.

“I’m a great athlete, but to do 10 events, especially the 1,500 ― I’ve got to give it to him,” Bolt said.

Rudisha wins Olympic 800 in record time

LONDON (AP) ― David Rudisha did what no one else, Usain Bolt included, has been able to do at the London Games: set a world record on the Olympic track.

Rudisha had told his rivals in the 800 meters to be ready for a world record, and he delivered on his word, winning Thursday’s final in 1 minute, 40.91 seconds, one-tenth of a second off the mark he set in 2010. That makes him the first man ever to run a sub-1:41.00 time for the 800.

After crossing the finish, he flung up both arms to celebrate, then draped himself in a Kenyan flag and posed for photographs near the timing clock with “NEW WR” on it. He has been the dominant 800-meter runner for the last three years, setting the world record three times and losing just once since 2009. This, though, topped all that.

Britain, Turkey claim taekwondo golds

LONDON (AP) ― Britain and Turkey won their first gold medals in Olympic taekwondo on Thursday.

Jade Jones of Britain defeated China’s Hou Yuzhuo 6-4 in a cagey final in which both fighters struggled to score. Jones eventually got past Hou’s blocks and landed several body shots.

Earlier in the day, she had ousted the category’s top seed, Taiwanese fighter Tseng Li-Cheng, in a tense semifinal after a burst of combination kicks in the last minute. Tseng later won a bronze. Jones was in sharp form Thursday, delivering head shots and successfully jamming opponents’ attempts to score on her.