Posted on: Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Clay claims silver
 |
| Hawai'i's Bryan Clay finished the decathlon with 8,820 points, the third-highest total ever by an American. The Czech Republic's Roman Sebrle won the gold medal.
Associated Press photos |
By Bob Baum
Associated Press
ATHENS, Greece — Hawai'i's Bryan Clay, the little guy among the giants of the decathlon, chased Roman Sebrle to the finish in one of the most powerful American performances in the event's history.
Sebrle, 29, the world-record holder from the Czech Republic, won the gold medal yesterday with 8,893 points — an Olympic record and the second-highest total of his magnificent career.
Clay, a 24-year-old Castle High School graduate who upset reigning world champion Tom Pappas in the U.S. trials, was second with 8,820 points, the third-highest ever by a U.S. decathlete. Only Dan O'Brien had better scores among Americans.
Clay became the first from Hawai'i to win an Olympic medal in track and field.
"It hasn't sunk in yet," Clay said. "But I'm pumped.
"I think people kind of take me for granted. They don't really take me seriously sometimes, whether that's my personality or my size or whatever. Hopefully now they'll know I'm for real."
Clay, who competed for and still trains at tiny Azusa Pacific University in southern California, stands just 5 feet, 11 inches and weighs 174 pounds. Still, he threw the javelin 228 feet, 8 inches, tying a personal best, then finished with a 4-minute, 41.65-second 1,500 meters — closely following Sebrle all the way around the track four times.
"I was just focusing on the corner of Roman's shoulder," Clay said, "just trying not to let that get away from me."
Clay was just 71 points off O'Brien's American record. Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakstan, the leader through eight events, was the bronze medalist with 8,725, an Asian record.
"We are friends," Sebrle said of decathletes, "and I think we are a special kind of athlete."
Pappas withdrew from the competition with a foot injury after seven events yesterday. He left the stadium without talking to reporters.
"I have no doubt that if he had not gotten hurt, we would have been carrying that flag together," Clay said, "and on the podium together — I don't know in what order."
In reality, though, Pappas was in fifth place and virtually out of medal contention when he strained his left foot on his first pole vault attempt. But Clay, who has a history of injuries, seemed stronger as the night wore on.
Clay, whose mother is Japanese American and father is black, moved to Hawai'i at age 5 and considers it his home state.
He was the first from Hawai'i to make the U.S. Olympic track and field team since steeplechaser Henry Marsh in 1988.
"All I can say is I remember sitting down watching people like Dan O'Brien and Dave Johnson and Chris Huffins and all those guys put up those huge scores at the Olympic Games and get to run around with the flag," Clay said. "I'd get goose bumps just sitting there watching them. I still look up to those guys. Now that I know that I just surpassed most of them, I don't know what to tell you. It's just an unbelievable feeling."
"In Sydney, I was four years younger and I didn't think about the gold medal. I just was thinking about a medal," he said. "Here, I compete much more because I want a gold."
Pappas, featured in an Olympic-themed promotional campaign by NBC, moved up to fourth after the discus, but the pain that had begun to plague him earlier in the day became more intense as he went down the runway for his first pole vault attempt.
He ran through it, then pulled off his left shoe and sock to retape the bottom of his foot. After receiving treatment for about an hour, he reluctantly pulled out of the event.
"It didn't bother me in the discus. I think just sitting around for maybe an hour after the discus, I thought I might be in trouble," he said in a statement released by USA Track and Field. "It really started to hurt. It took forever to try to warm it up a little bit. It was one of those things where it wasn't getting any better. ...
"It doesn't feel too good right now. I had high expectations coming into the meet. But more than anything I am just worried about my foot."
The Los Angeles Times contributed to this report.
Sebrle, who was second at the 2000 Sydney Games, attributed his success to maturity. Over the 10 events, he ranked first in the shot put and javelin throw and second in the long jump and high jump.
• • •
 |
| Bryan Clay tied a personal best in the javelin en route to silver.
Associated Press |
 |
