London • The debate lasted all of two hours. Usain Bolt threw down the gauntlet Thursday night after another astounding performance in winning his second straight Olympic 200-meter dash title.

So, after his picture taking, his hugging and his posing, one of the first public statements out of his mouth was nearly as outrageous as his victory.

"I'm now a legend," he said. "I'm also the greatest [living] athlete."

About the time that statement had been tweeted from London to Mars, Ashton Eaton was getting ready to line up for the final event in the decathlon, to stamp his "official title" as World's Greatest Athlete. Eaton, the world record-holder, eased through the 1,500-meter run to mop up the decathlon field and win gold.

Yet he became almost an afterthought in the hysteria that is Usain Bolt. That is, until U.S. teammate Trey Hardee, the silver-medal winner and defending world champion decathlete, gave Eaton a shout-out.

"Ashton is the greatest athlete to ever walk the planet," Hardee said. "Hands down."

Whether it was his senses returning or him suddenly grasping what the decathlon really is, Bolt soon after began back-pedaling.

"I'm a great athlete but 10 events, especially the 1,500?" Bolt said. "I got to give it to him."

The world should, too. Eaton, a former quarter-miler and long jump specialist from Bend, Ore., dominated the field from the first event, a wire-to-wire victory that gave him 8,869 points. It's short of the world mark of 9,039 he set at the Olympic Trials in June, but the Olympic decathlon isn't about records. It's about titles.

Eaton wouldn't take the bait as to who is the greatest athlete. With a gold medal around his neck, he had already caught the big one.

"There is no fight," Eaton said. "Usain is clearly awesome in his own right and an icon in the sport. Titles are for books and stuff. I just like doing what I'm doing."

Thursday, he had the top marks in the 100 (10.35), the long jump (26-5) and the 400 (46.9) and second best marks in the high jump (6-7 ¾) and 110 high hurdles (13.56). At the end of the eighth event, the pole vault, in which he placed third at 17-1½, he had a 222-point lead on Hardee.

Let's see another athlete in the Olympic Village run, jump and throw like this.

"That's the thing about the decathlon," Eaton said. "For me, I want 10 perfect events. If I really felt I was the world's greatest I'd get 10 perfect events. I know that's pretty much not possible, but that's the toughness of the decathlon."

This meant more to Eaton and Hardee than most past decathlon medalists. Earlier this summer they were in Marburg, Germany, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Olympic decathlon. Every living decathlon medalist attended, from Bill Toomey to Dan O'Brien.

Eaton and Hardee learned a couple of things: One, Hardee easily tears up over videos about the decathlon; two, the decathlon is America's event. Eaton is the 13th American Olympic champion. Eaton and Hardee are the fourth pair of Americans to go 1-2.

"I left there that night just with a newfound resolve and a newfound kick in the butt as to what this means," said Hardee, a former college star at Texas. "It's not just another meet. This isn't the Olympic Trials. This isn't the World Championships. This is the Olympic Games.

"And to represent the United States in that is so much bigger than you realize."