Posted on: Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Clay carries flag for Hawai'i athletes
| • | Clay claims silver |
| • | Ferd Lewis: Decathlete can stand tall today |
| • | It's Clay Day |
| • | So close, yet so far from gold |
| • | Hawai'i kayakers still in it |
| • | U.S. ousted by Brazil in women's volleyball |
By Mark-Alexander Pieper
Special to The Advertiser
ATHENS, Greece — After he won the silver medal in the decathlon yesterday, Bryan Clay had Hawai'i on his mind.
Associated Press "I wanted to hold the Hawaiian flag (as he did after he won the U.S. trials), but I didn't know if that was very appropriate being at the Olympic Games and competing for the U.S.," Clay said, flashing a wide smile in front of reporters.
The 24-year-old finished second to the Czech Republic's Roman Sebrle in the decathlon to win silver, becoming the first from Hawai'i to win an Olympic medal in track and field.
Clay, whose grandparents, an uncle, an aunt, father and step-mother flew to Athens to watch him compete, sent his love to his wife and the rest of his family and friends back home in Hawai'i.
Gannett News Service He also had Hawai'i support in Kalan Cavasoz, a former University of Hawai'i volleyball player and Mililani grad who was a member of Clay's training staff. He confided in Cavasoz after a second-place showing in the javelin, the ninth of 10 decathlon events, which solidified his second-place ranking overall.
"I was sitting in the (locker) room after jav, watching the second flight and I leaned over to (Cavasoz) and I was like, 'Dude, I'm so blessed to have the jav coach (Mike Barnett) that I have because that javelin has pulled me out of a lot of sticky areas,' " Clay said.
Gannett News Service "Even coming out of high school I don't think I was recruited very hard by very many people. I mean people sent me letters, but I don't think people took me real seriously just because there's not a whole lot of athletes that come out of Hawai'i that break through on to the world scene," he said.
"I don't know if that's just because of (a) lack of financial support or things like that cause there is so many things that play into that. I hope that people now know that there's more in Hawai'i than a bunch of surfers and a bunch of people running around on the beach all the time. There's great athletes in Hawai'i ... and I think there's more Olympic athletes out there in Hawai'i. We just gotta find them and support them enough to get to this part of their life."
Mark-Alexander Pieper is a staff writer for Guam's Pacific Daily News
Clay, a 1998 Castle High School graduate, dropped to his knees after the race to say what appeared to be a little prayer. He then congratulated his fellow runners and hoisted the American flag as he celebrated around the track.
U.S. decathlete Bryan Clay, who cleared 4.90 meters in the pole vault, wanted to carry the Hawaiian flag around the track but decided to go with the American flag.
He thanked them for their love and support over the years, which helped to give him the inner strength to almost pull out a comeback victory in the competition's last two events.
Bryan Clay was very grateful for a silver medal and to all those who supported him over the years.
After the race, Clay recounted his improbable rise from a happy-go-lucky boy from Kane'ohe to Olympic stardom. He said that even though he won the 2004 U.S. Olympic Trials and the silver medal at the 2004 World Indoor, members of the media, who didn't closely follow track and field, did not take him seriously because of his height (5 feet 11) and background.
Bryan Clay led Roman Sebrle of the Czech Republic and Jamaica's Bernard Claston in the 1,500-meter run. Clay finished 14th.
