No - not Usain Bolt, for that retirement story when it comes will go on for ever.

This farewell came out of the blue. Just a post on a website.

At just 28 years of age there will be no more athletics for the world record holder in the most testing of all athletics events, the decathlon – Ashton Eaton.

Unlike Bolt, Eaton has excelled in eleven events over a very similar career period, but gets credit only for one of them. 

In fact, for Eaton make that twelve, because he has even found time to let us know that he is a more than competent 400 metres hurdler as well.

As it happens, only two Australians, national record holder Rohan Robinson and Tasmanian Tristan Thomas have personal bests quicker that the 48.69 Eaton achieved at the Glasgow Diamond League in 2014.

In an event where injury is simply accepted as an inconvenience but which, of course, often causes lengthy time-outs, gladiator Eaton recorded an 8000-point-plus decathlon score every other year from 2008.

Not that 2014 was a write-off. Apart from the 400m hurdles experiment, there was also one of Eaton’s three world indoor championships and a more-than-handy personal best of 13.35 in the 110 metres hurdles.

The dual Olympic gold medallist who also has two world championships titles to his name, has the two best decathlon scores of all time – crowned by the world record mark of 9045 points achieved in the pressure-cooker environment of the 2015 Worlds in Beijing.

It is too often glibly remarked that athletics world records are not broken at the majors like the Olympics and world championships. What’s needed, it is said, are the special conditions of a Diamond League meet or a venue which favour a certain event.

But it’s simply not true – at least for the very best like Eaton.

Both the American’s Olympic crowns came with scores over 8850 points, scores only achieved by three other men – like he, all world record setters.

In his website post Eaton remarked that “it seems like we tend to run out of time or will before we run out of potential”.

Whatever motivated him to draw stumps now will perhaps become clearer in due course, but there are plenty of hints in the announcement itself.

For it was not only advising of his retirement, but also the curtain call for world indoor champion, world championships silver and Olympic bronze medallist, Brianne Theisen – to whom he happens to be married.