US Olympic Track Trials: Ashton Eaton's Achilles' Heel in Bid for Gold in London

As Ashton Eaton reached the finish line Sunday at the U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials, ending the final leg of the Olympic decathlon, a new king was born.

Eaton became the new world record holder for the decathlon with a score of 9,039 points, breaking Roman Sebrle’s 11-year-old record by 13 points.

At only 24 years old, Eaton has come into his own, showing off his pure athleticism.

But as with any athlete on the top of their sport, the spotlight can tend to drift.

What is his weakness? What part of his game can be exploited?

In competition, Eaton is solid. An eighth-place finish in the discus, and a fifth-place finish in the javelin throw were the only hiccups in Eaton’s performance in the U.S. Trials.

But what about beyond the events?

Outside of sports, many top athletes have an Achilles' heel or a weakness off the field that leads to their failure.

An obvious Achilles' heel recently was Tiger Woods’ infidelities that pushed him out of golf for a while (and he still can’t get back to his old form).

But something much smaller than that can affect an athlete’s game.

Eaton's performance last Sunday answered any questions that critics had about his ability.

His record-breaking performance proved that Eaton is one of the most successful decathletes ever.

But that very fact brings to light Ashton Eaton’s Achilles' heel: success.

Don't get me wrong, Eaton is deserving of all of the hype and success he has experienced. But if he lets it get to his head, there could be trouble.

The Olympics are very unforgiving; it's the big stage, and the world is watching. One false step or fault on a throw can change the momentum of an entire event.

Eaton is young and relatively inexperienced, having only competed in one Olympic Games. Having media and fans surrounding him after his world record performance in the U.S. Trials can create a distraction of success.

With his success leading up to the Olympics, there will be high expectations for Eaton and a lot of pressure to repeat his record performance.

Eaton controls his own destiny; he can use this world record as fuel towards a gold medal, or he can drown in his own success before ever coming close to London.

My money is on Eaton to take the gold.