Ashton Eaton of the United States set a heptathlon world record Saturday and won gold at the world indoor championships.
He dominated the two-day competition from start to finish, capping it with an overwhelming 1,000 meters. He broke the record he set last year by 77 points with a total of 6,645, clinching gold and the record to earn $90,000.
''I was good, fit and healthy, and if all things went well I knew I would be able to do it,'' Eaton said.
Sanya Richards-Ross of the United States won 400 gold in 50.79 second, beating Russian Aleksandra Fedoriva by a massive 0.97 seconds.
Eaton took the lead Friday with a personal best of 26 feet, 9 1/4 inches in the long jump. He also won the 60 meters, 60-meter hurdles and the pole vault, making up for third-place finishes in the shot put and high jump. And there was no stopping him in the 1,000 as he knew another world record was on the line.
Genzebe Dibaba added to her Ethiopian family dynasty by winning the 1,500 title in 4:05.78, two seconds ahead of Mariem Alaoui Selsouli of Morocco.
''This is the first major victory of my career,'' Dibaba said. ''It was tough, but I am happy to start the Olympic year with this world title.''
Her sisters are two-time Olympic gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba and 2004 Olympic 10,000 silver medalist Ejegayehu Dibaba.
Britain got its first gold from 39-year-old Yamile Aldama, a Cuban-born triple jumper who also competed for Sudan before gaining British citizenship two years ago.
Eaton won his first world title in record time. His next goal is to compete for decathlon gold at the London Olympics.
''I will now be preparing for the Olympic trials, which you know are very competitive in the U.S.,'' Eaton said.
