Bryan Clay facts for kids
Clay in 2010
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| Born | January 3, 1980 Austin, Texas, United States |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 185 lb | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Bryan Ezra Tsumoru Clay (born January 3, 1980) is an American athlete. He is famous for competing in the decathlon. This event combines ten different track and field challenges. Bryan Clay won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He was also a World Champion in 2005.
Biography
Bryan Clay was born in Austin, Texas. He grew up in Hawaii. His mother, Michele Ishimoto, was from Japan. His father, Greg Clay, was African-American. His parents divorced when he was young. He was mostly raised by his mother. Bryan has a younger brother, Nikolas, who was also a great athlete. Nikolas competed on the track team at Azusa Pacific University. Bryan finished high school at James B. Castle High School in Hawaii in 1998.
On March 23, 2013, Bryan Clay was honored. He was added to the Azusa Pacific Hall of Fame for track and field.
Bryan is married to Sarah Smith. They have three children. Their son, Jacob, was born in 2005. Their daughters are Katherine (Kate), born in 2007, and Elizabeth (Ellie), born in 2010. Bryan Clay is a devoted Christian. He believes that being healthy in mind, body, and feelings helps him in sports.
Athletic Career
Bryan competed in track and field during high school. He continued his training at Azusa Pacific University. This is a Christian college near Los Angeles, California. He was coached by Mike Barnett, who still coaches him today. Bryan decided to try the decathlon after an Olympian named Chris Huffins encouraged him.
Bryan Clay won a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics. He then took first place at the 2005 World Championships. He had to stop competing in the 2007 World Championships. This was because of injuries. Even so, he had the best scores in the 100-meter race and the long jump before he left.
Bryan won the gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in the decathlon. His win was by a huge 240 points. This was the biggest winning difference since 1972. The Olympic decathlon champion is often called the "World's Greatest Athlete." Before the Olympics, Bryan was tested by SPARQ. This test measures how athletic someone is in different sports. In the football test, Bryan scored 130.40 points. This was the highest score ever recorded at that time. For comparison, another famous athlete, Reggie Bush, scored 93.38.
Bryan Clay was featured on a special Wheaties cereal box. This was after the Beijing Olympics. He was one of two Olympians on the box. The other was gymnast Nastia Liukin.
In 2009, Bryan had a hamstring injury. This stopped him from trying to win another World Championships decathlon title. He could not compete at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. He came back to compete in 2010. He won the men's heptathlon at the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships. He also won the 2010 Hypo-Meeting early in his outdoor season.
In 2012, Bryan tried to make it to his third Olympics. He wanted to defend his gold medal. Only two athletes had done this before. But his attempt ended on the second day. He tripped during the 110-meter hurdles race. He still finished the competition.
Achievements
- 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Gold medal
- 2008 Summer Olympics (Decathlon) - Gold medal
- 2008 IAAF World Indoor Championships - Gold medal
- 2005 World Championships in Athletics - Gold medal
- 2004 Summer Olympics (Decathlon) - Silver medal
- 2004 World Indoor Championships - Silver medal
Personal Bests
These are Bryan Clay's best performances in different events.
Outdoor
| Event | Performance | Location | Date | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decathlon | 8,832 points | Eugene | June 30, 2008 | 8,832 points |
| 100 meters | 10.27 (+0.2 m/s) | Götzis | May 29, 2010 | 1,011 points |
| Long jump | 8.06 m (26 ft 5.19783465 in) w | Chula Vista | June 6, 2004 | 1,076 points |
| Shot put | 16.27 m (53 ft 4.42618111 in) | Beijing | August 21, 2008 | 868 points |
| High jump | 2.10 m (6 ft 10.55216536 in) | Moscow | March 11, 2006 | 896 points |
| 400 meters | 47.78 | Tampa | May 16, 1998 | 920 points |
| 110 meters hurdles | 13.64 (-0.3 m/s) | Los Angeles | May 8, 2010 | 1,022 points |
| Discus throw | 55.87 m (183 ft 3.48129922 in) | Carson | June 24, 2005 | 993 points |
| Pole vault | 5.15 m (16 ft 10.63090552 in) | Ames | February 15, 2008 | 957 points |
| Javelin throw | 72.00 m (236 ft 2.52066930 in) | Helsinki | August 10, 2005 | 920 points |
| 1500 meters | 4:38.93 | Eugene | June 22, 2001 | 687 points |
| Virtual Best Performance | 9,350 points | |||
Indoor
| Event | Performance | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heptathlon | 6,371 points | Valencia | March 9, 2008 |
| 60 meters | 6.65 | Budapest | March 6, 2004 |
| 60 meters hurdles | 7.77 | Albuquerque | February 27, 2010 |
| 200 meters | 21.34 | Azusa | February 17, 2001 |
| 1000 meters | 2:49.41 | Budapest | March 7, 2004 |
Politics
Bryan Clay spoke at the Republican National Convention in 2008. This is a big meeting where a political party chooses its candidate for president.
See also
In Spanish: Bryan Clay para niños
- List of Olympic decathlon medalists
- Black conservatism in the United States
