Clay reaches Olympic glory

old Bryan Clay improved from silver in Athens 2004 to gold 2008 to become the first American to win the Decathlon Olympic title since former World record holder Dan O’Brien. With his personal best improved to 8832 points he is now also the equal fifth best performer of all-time.

Extract from IAAF Yearbook 2008

Athletes derive inspiration from many sources, from fellow athletes, coaches and teachers. The 2008 Olympic Decathlon champion Bryan Clay lives by one motto:  “God first, family second and me third!”

“That has allowed me to have balance in my life, allowed me to have a good perspective on life,” says Clay of his Christian beliefs. “Winning is not the most important thing.”

Some might find the latter statement slightly skewered, especially coming from an athlete who has clawed and battled his way to the top of athletics. It certainly hasn’t been a smooth path.

He was unable to defend his 2005 IAAF World Decathlon title last year in Osaka after injuring his thigh during the High Jump competition. That’s not the best scenario in which to enter an Olympic year either mentally or physically. Rest and rehab followed but never once did he take his mind off the big prize.

A healthy Clay won the IAAF World Indoor Heptathlon in Valencia back in March before claiming his spot on the US Olympic team. He won the national trials with a personal best of 8832 points, the sixth best performance in history. It took a score of 8791 to win the Olympic title. Clay then flew back to his home state of Hawaii where he made a series of appearances and even delivered a speech to marines at the Kaneohe Marine Corps Base. 

Linda Lingle the Governor of Hawaii also met with Clay to congratulate him on his Olympic victory. Impressed with his deportment, she invited him to attend the Republican National Party Convention in Minneapolis-St Paul, Minnesota. Before he knew it he was delivering a four-minute speech to the Republican faithful.

“That’s not what I signed up for but this is exactly what I wanted to do.” he explains.  “I wanted to work hard to help people understand what it is that makes me successful in life.

“I truly believe that if we want America to be a better place it doesn’t start with the President, it doesn’t start with the Governor or the Senate, it starts with each individual person taking their core values and beliefs and teaching their kids those core values. Their kids will teach it to their kids, I only had four minutes but that was the message.”

Articulate, athletic and committed, Bryan Clay will go places - if not directly home!  Indeed it took him a couple of weeks to get back to his actual home in Glendora, California following the Olympic triumph. He rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange, a tradition reserved for celebrities. There was the appearance at the Republican Convention and then a little side trip to Seattle to visit his in-laws. Clearly there hasn’t been much time to admire the gold medal packed away in his carry-on bag or to reflect on what went into it.

“My initial reaction was relief,” he says of the moment he realised he was the Olympic champion. “Excited, because everything we had been doing had been gearing up towards this competition the last year.  We were saying from the beginning that 2008 was going to be the year when we were going to try and win the gold medal. We said that before I had even won the 2004 silver. 

“Really everything in the last eight years and even a bit longer had been gearing up toward this goal of winning the Olympic gold medal. It was something that was definitely stressful. There was pressure. But I did it and I can check this one off the list.”

Besides the obvious support of his wife Sarah, Clay credits his team of coaches led by Kevin Reid, who coached him while a student-athlete at Azusa Pacific University, Pole Vault coach Brooks Morris. Rana Reider, his manager Paul Doyle who designs the training programme and throws coach Mike Barnett himself a 1992 Olympian in the javelin.

“There are plenty of coaches out there who think they know everything and they are going to make their mark on the Decathlon as the greatest coach ever,” Clay declares, “I am very, very blessed that I have several coaches who all know their events, who are all willing to swallow their pride, and they all have one common goal, which is to make me succeed.”

The team shared an apartment across the street from the Olympic stadium which was a blessing. So too was the Japanese restaurant the group frequented on a nightly basis. Clay who is of Japanese descent enjoyed Kobe beef and fried rice after the first day of competition, had a massage and chatted with the coaches who tried to keep him focused.

According to his manager Clay has a tendency to dwell on events he has finished, wondering how he could have scored more points. The athlete has come to terms with the fact there are going to be good events and others that bring disappointment.

“If I have a bad first day I give myself a night to be upset about it,” Clay explains, “and the next morning it’s done and over with. Because of that (thinking) I have been able to do very well. It’s helped with my mental toughness.”

“The two places I have won gold medals have been in (2005 IAAF World Championships) Helsinki where it was pouring rain 50 degrees, windy. We had cross winds, everything thrown at us. And, I won the gold medal in Beijing when we had rain that was harder than in Helsinki. Lots of rain. And, the next day it was over 100 degrees on the track.”

Clay’s performance in Beijing coincided with those of swimmer Michael Phelps who won 8 gold medals in the swimming pool and Usain Bolt who completed the 100-200m double then helped Jamaica win the 4 x 100m relay gold. Since then he has fielded questions as to who is the ‘world’s greatest athlete.” On one occasion his response was misinterpreted and he came across less humble than he actually is.

The Olympic decathlete champion traditionally has been considered the world’s greatest athlete but in this age of commercialism others often lay claim.

“I have worked hard for the title “World’s Greatest Athlete,” Clay says. “It’s something that has traditionally been given to the Decathlon winner. It’s something I wanted to achieve, but it’s just an honorary title. My dad has always said there's always someone out there to break the World record who's bigger, faster, better and I believe that to be true.

“At the same time there is really no way of knowing who is the world’s greatest athlete. The definition is something that each person has to figure out for themselves. At the same time I have worked hard for the title and I’d like to be able to use it.”

To the victor go the spoils and Clay’s manager is sorting through various commercial endorsements opportunities. Visa, Nike and Hawaii Pacific Health for whom he regularly appears in television commercials, have helped him reach the pinnacle of sport. But Clay has achieved another one of his goals, one in which his 3-year-old son Jacob Ezra Clay can share. Following the Beijing Olympics Clay had his picture posted on the “Wheaties” cereal box. He has a four-year agreement with General Mills.
  Training was to resume in November with the next target being the 2009 IAAF World Championships in Berlin. Clay would like to win another gold medal. At the age of 28 he feels he has a few more good years in him. Faith has got him where he is today. Faith will likely see him remain at the top until he decides it’s time to quit.

Bryan Clay
Born on 3 January 1980 in Austin, Texas, USA
Olympic champion at Decathlon
World Indoor champion at Heptathlon
2005 World champion at Decathlon
PB: 8832 points