Bryan Clay
Encyclopedia
Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay is an American decathlete. He is the reigning Olympic champion
for the decathlon
and was also World champion
in 2005.
and raised in Hawaii
. He is Afro-Asian. His mother, Michele Ishimoto, was a Japanese
immigrant to America. His father, Greg Clay, was African American
. His parents divorced when he was in elementary school and he was raised primarily by his mother.
Clay has a younger brother, Nikolas, who was also a standout athlete on the Azusa Pacific University track team.
He graduated from James B. Castle High School
(Kaneohe, Hawaii) in 1998.
Clay is married to Sarah Smith. They have a son, Jacob (b. 2005), and two daughters, Katherine (Kate) (b. 2007) and Elizabeth (Ellie) (b. 2010) . Clay believes that a balance of mental, physical, and emotional health will help him in athletic competition.
Clay is a devout Christian.
Clay addressed the 2008 Republican National Convention.
, an Evangelical Christian college near Los Angeles, California
, where he competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
and was coached by Mike Barnett, who still coaches him. Clay still trains at Azusa Pacific University. Clay decided to compete in the decathlon after persuasion from Olympian Chris Huffins
.
Clay won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, and finished first at the 2005 World Championships
. He was unable to compete in the 2007 World Championships
due to injuries.
Clay won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the decathlon. His victory margin of 240 points in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the largest since 1972. The Olympic decathlon champion is referred to as the "World's Greatest Athlete" and prior to the Olympics, Clay was tested by SPARQ to establish his SPARQ Rating across a number of different sports. The test is meant to measure sport-specific athleticism and in the football test Clay recorded a score of 130.40, the highest ever recorded. By comparison, Reggie Bush
scored a 93.38 on the popular test.
He is one of two Olympians featured on a special edition post-Beijing Olympics Wheaties
cereal box; the other was gymnast
Nastia Liukin
.
His attempts to regain his World Championships decathlon title were thwarted by a hamstring injury in June 2009. This caused him to drop out of the US trials; thus, he missed the chance to compete at the 2009 World Championships
in Berlin
. He returned to action in 2010 and won the men's heptathlon at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
. At the start of his outdoor season he won the 2010 Hypo-Meeting
, holding off the challenge from Romain Barras
.
Decathlon events:
Others:
Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's decathlon
-Heat 1:21 August 2008 - 9:20Wind: -0.6 m/s-Heat 2:21 August 2008 - 9:27Wind: -0.2 m/s-Heat 3:21 August 2008 - 9:34Wind: 0.3 m/s-Heat 4:21 August 2008 - 9:41Wind: -0.4 m/s-Heat 5:21 August 2008 - 9:48Wind: -0.1 m/s-Group A:...
for the decathlon
Decathlon
The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
and was also World champion
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
in 2005.
Biography
Clay was born in Austin, TexasAustin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
and raised in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. He is Afro-Asian. His mother, Michele Ishimoto, was a Japanese
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
immigrant to America. His father, Greg Clay, was African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. His parents divorced when he was in elementary school and he was raised primarily by his mother.
Clay has a younger brother, Nikolas, who was also a standout athlete on the Azusa Pacific University track team.
He graduated from James B. Castle High School
James B. Castle High School
For schools of the same name, see Castle High SchoolJames Bicknell Castle High School, more commonly James B. Castle High School or simply Castle High School, is a public coeducational high school located in Kāneohe CDP, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii. The school serves grades 9 through 12 and...
(Kaneohe, Hawaii) in 1998.
Clay is married to Sarah Smith. They have a son, Jacob (b. 2005), and two daughters, Katherine (Kate) (b. 2007) and Elizabeth (Ellie) (b. 2010) . Clay believes that a balance of mental, physical, and emotional health will help him in athletic competition.
Clay is a devout Christian.
Clay addressed the 2008 Republican National Convention.
Athletic career
He competed in track and field in high school, during which time he was coached by Dacre Bowen and Martin Hee. He then attended Azusa Pacific UniversityAzusa Pacific University
Azusa Pacific University is a private, inter-denominational, evangelical Christian university located near Los Angeles in suburban Azusa, California. It was founded in 1899, with classes opening on March 3, 1900 in Whittier, California. It began offering degrees in 1939...
, an Evangelical Christian college near Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, where he competed in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics is an athletic association that organizes college and university-level athletic programs. Membership in the NAIA consists of smaller colleges and universities across the United States. The NAIA allows colleges and universities outside the USA...
and was coached by Mike Barnett, who still coaches him. Clay still trains at Azusa Pacific University. Clay decided to compete in the decathlon after persuasion from Olympian Chris Huffins
Chris Huffins
Chris Huffins is an athlete from the United States who competed in the field of Decathlon. He was the Director and Head Coach of the Men's and Women's Track and Field and Cross Country programs at the University of California from 2002 to 2007. He married Monique Parker in 1997. He earned a...
.
Clay won the silver medal at the 2004 Olympics, and finished first at the 2005 World Championships
2005 World Championships in Athletics
The 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
. He was unable to compete in the 2007 World Championships
2007 World Championships in Athletics
The 11th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held at Nagai Stadium in Osaka, Japan from 24 August to 2 September 2007...
due to injuries.
Clay won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the decathlon. His victory margin of 240 points in the 2008 Beijing Olympics was the largest since 1972. The Olympic decathlon champion is referred to as the "World's Greatest Athlete" and prior to the Olympics, Clay was tested by SPARQ to establish his SPARQ Rating across a number of different sports. The test is meant to measure sport-specific athleticism and in the football test Clay recorded a score of 130.40, the highest ever recorded. By comparison, Reggie Bush
Reggie Bush
Reginald Alfred "Reggie" Bush II is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the first round of the 2006 NFL Draft...
scored a 93.38 on the popular test.
He is one of two Olympians featured on a special edition post-Beijing Olympics Wheaties
Wheaties
Wheaties is a brand of General Mills breakfast cereal. It is well known for featuring prominent athletes on the exterior of the package, and has become a major cultural icon...
cereal box; the other was gymnast
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
Nastia Liukin
Nastia Liukin
Anastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin is a Russian-American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic individual all-around Champion, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars...
.
His attempts to regain his World Championships decathlon title were thwarted by a hamstring injury in June 2009. This caused him to drop out of the US trials; thus, he missed the chance to compete at the 2009 World Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. He returned to action in 2010 and won the men's heptathlon at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
. At the start of his outdoor season he won the 2010 Hypo-Meeting
2010 Hypo-Meeting
The 36th edition of the annual Hypo-Meeting took place on May 29 and May 30, 2010 in Götzis, Austria. The track and field competition, featuring a men's decathlon and a women's heptathlon event was part of the 2010 IAAF World Combined Events Challenge. Oleksiy Kasyanov and Jessica Ennis led the...
, holding off the challenge from Romain Barras
Romain Barras
Romain Barras is a French decathlete. At the Universiade he finished fifth in 2001 and first in 2003, the latter in a personal best score of 8196 points. He represented France at the 2004 Summer Olympics and came in thirteenth place overall in the decathlon...
.
Achievements
- 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships2010 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
- gold medal - Athletics at the 2008 Summer Olympics - Men's decathlon2008 Summer OlympicsThe 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
- gold medal - 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships2008 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Luis Puig Palace in Valencia, Spain, March 7-9, 2008.-Bid:Valencia was announced the winning bidder by the IAAF on November 13, 2005 at an IAAF Council meeting in Moscow, Russia.-Men:...
- gold medal - 2005 World Championships in Athletics2005 World Championships in AthleticsThe 10th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations , were held in the Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland , the site of the first IAAF World Championships in 1983. One theme of the 2005 championships was paralympic sports, some of...
- gold medal - Athletics at the 2004 Summer Olympics - Men's decathlon2004 Summer OlympicsThe 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
- silver medal - 2004 World Indoor Championships2004 IAAF World Indoor ChampionshipsThe 10th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations were held in the Budapest Arena, Hungary between March 5 and March 7, 2004...
- silver medal
Personal best
- DecathlonDecathlonThe decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The word decathlon is of Greek origin . Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points system in each event, not...
- 8832
Decathlon events:
- 100 m - 10.35
- 400 m - 47.78
- 110 m hurdles - 13.64
- 1500 m - 4:38.93
- Long jumpLong jumpThe long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point...
- 8.06 - High jumpHigh jumpThe high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....
- 2.10 - Pole vaultPole vaultPole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
- 5.15 - Shot putShot putThe shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" a heavy metal ball—the shot—as far as possible. It is common to use the term "shot put" to refer to both the shot itself and to the putting action....
- 16.27 - Discus throwDiscus throwThe discus throw is an event in track and field athletics competition, in which an athlete throws a heavy disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an ancient sport, as evidenced by the 5th century BC Myron statue, Discobolus...
- 55.87 (world decathlon best) - Javelin throwJavelin throwThe javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
- 72.00
Others:
- 60 m - 6.65
- 60 m hurdles - 7.77
- 200 m - 21.34
- 1000 m - 2:49.41
- HeptathlonHeptathlonA heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...
- 6371
See also
- List of Olympic decathlon medalists