Ashton Eaton has been wearing interesting-looking headgear during the decathlon competition. (AP) Medal count | Olympic schedule | Olympic news
If you’ve been keeping up with the decathlon action in Rio, you might have noticed leader and defending Olympic champion Ashton Eaton rocking a bright blue, medieval-style gladiator helmet.
So what gives?
No, Eaton is not cosplaying as Magneto from X-Men. The headwear he’s sporting is a special cooling helmet that he worked with Nike to design. Essentially, it works as a head-shaped ice pack, helping to reduce the body’s core temperature.*When you’re competing in 10 events over two days in the sweltering Rio heat, staying cool is essential.
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In a press release after the prototype was unveiled last year, Eaton said the idea for the helmet came from his quest to replicate the refreshing sensation of pouring a bottle of water over his head.

“A perfect scenario would be to feel like you’ve just started on every event,” Eaton said in the release. “The more*you do, the more attrition you experience. Rather than realizing immediate physiological gain, the challenge is more about reducing the mental attrition from the two days to maximize each event.”
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