OnlyOnAOL: Meet Ashton Eaton, Rio's most modest gold medalist

By: Donna Freydkin

Winning the decathlon gold officially makes Ashton Eaton the world's greatest athlete, coming out of the Rio Olympics.

But the Oregon native doesn't buy into any of that hype. (Watch our interview with Ibtihaj Muhammad, a sabre fencer and bronze medal winner, above).

"I don't really think that what I do is all that special. It's inspiring to people but for me that was fun. I was pushed by the experience," says Eaton. "I imagine everyone would suspect it feels amazing but I feel the same. I got tested really hard and I passed the test and I'm proud."

It's refreshing to talk to someone so grounded. "Would you want it the other way around?" muses Eaton.

He serves as Gillette's North American Olympic ambassador, and is promoting the Fusion ProShield razor. So we had to ask about his own grooming habits. Spoiler alert: he keeps things simple.

"I like my hair short so I don't have to think about it. I shave the day before (a competition) because I know over the two-day competition I won't have time. I make sure I cut my finger nails. Those are the main grooming things I do," he says.

He's been too busy to get caught up in any of the hype coming out of Rio, including the ever-changing Ryan Lochte robbery tale.

"It's been fun. My perspective has been from the village and the venues. It's been nice. There's always some great story to tell people. Unfortunately people pick up on the negative ones. I key in on the positive ones. I know the work that goes into those moments," says Eaton.

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He'd love to meet Tesla founder Elon Musk, but not for long. "I don't want to take up too much of his time. I like the way he thinks. I like to push myself past my limits. He's doing it on a global scale," says Eaton.

He's going to keep his medal out of sight, along with his first gold from the previous Olympics. "Probably in a box," he says.

Will he compete in Tokyo in 2020? "I have no idea. I've been thinking about it," says Eaton. I keep telling people that there's a less-than 50 percent chance. That doesn't leave out possibilities."