Bryan Clay surged into the American spotlight when he won the U.S. Trials. But even that didn't prepare people for what they saw from the 5-foot-11, 174-pound Clay in Athens.

He finished with 8,820 points — 27 off the old Olympic record and 73 behind gold medalist Roman Sebrle, the world record holder from the Czech Republic. It was the third-highest total ever by a U.S. decathlete.

Clay, 24, isn't expected to be at his peak until Beijing in 2008.

"What everyone would say to me was, 'I can't believe how small he is compared to everybody else,' " recalled University of Hawai'i assistant track coach Andy McInnis, who was a color analyst in Athens for Canada's CBC TV network. "I was amazed at how good he is in the throws.

"For a guy his size, what he puts out there made all the difference. When you see Bryan, you think there is a sprinter/jumper. You never think he can back it up with throws. But there he was, throwing 15-meter shots (about 50 feet) and 50 meters in the discus (164 feet, 5 inches) and 70 meters in the javelin (228-8). That's amazing, it really is. That sets him apart ."

Clay's mother, Michele Vandenberg, characterizes her son's accomplishment as "just too overwhelming ... we're all kind of numb." The family's life has changed, too.

"Now I'm having to look at things a little differently," Vandenberg says. "Things are different because he is out there now. We have to always be conscious of who he is. Before he was just my son. Now we have to be more aware that he's a public figure and the impact he can have."

A few of Clay's relatives and friends traveled to Athens, but most were here, praying and following from afar. There hasn't been a chance for the family to come together yet, but there is little doubt what Clay will be doing for the next four years.

From the time his Olympic dream was first formed, the 2008 Games have been on his mind — almost as much as a gold medal.

"He's not satisfied," Vandenberg says unequivocally.

The journey begins again, but now it is a world-class quest. Clay can no longer surprise everyone outside Hawai'i.

How the rest of Hawai'i's athletes fared in Athens:

ATHLETICS

100 meters

Kelsey Nakanelua

Finish: 11.25 (75th overall)

Nakanelua's second Olympics lasted a little more than 11 seconds. At 37 years old, the man who has earned Hawai'i's Fastest Human title five times savored each second. Nakanelua was the oldest of the 84 men entered in the 100.

WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Robyn Ah Mow-Santos		Heather Bown
Lindsey Berg

Lindsey Berg

Heather Bown

Finish: T5 (2-4)

Team USA came to Athens with a No. 1 world ranking and infinite optimism, firm in the belief it could better its surprisingly good fourth-place finish in Sydney.

Instead, a shocking pool-play loss to the Dominican Republic dropped the United States into a quarterfinal match with second-ranked Brazil. The women went out in five games.

"I think we fought well," coach Toshi Yoshida said. "We showed everything we've got, but everything wasn't enough."

MEN'S VOLLEYBALL

Clay Stanley

Finish: 4th (4-4)

Team USA was swept in its final two matches, but while it was a disappointment to miss out on a medal, the men's team still was one of the surprises of the Games.

It also played one of the most riveting matches in Olympic history, holding off Greece in a chaotic quarterfinal. Before more than 9,000 boisterous fans, the Americans overcame a 20-12 fourth-game deficit, then rallied from 12-9 down and fought off a match point in the fifth before winning.

Stanley anchored the U.S. attack in Athens, finishing seventh in points (110) and second in aces (17).

His girlfriend, former University of Hawai'i softball pitcher Desi Duran, attended the Olympics with most of Stanley's family. Duran said the Americans felt like underdogs in every match.

"Thousands of fans are booing the USA and they carry it outside the arena," Duran said. "Against Brazil, they kept chanting 'Go Home USA!' and after every point scored by the Brazilians, the fans would turn to the U.S. fans and taunt us. And this happens every game, not only with the Brazilians.

"We have everything to prove to the world and the guys have shown they are not going out without a fight. Whether the team took home bronze or not, they have already succeeded by making it this far, when no one believed they were good enough to do it."

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Stein Metzger

Finish: T5 (2-3)

Metzger, 31, characterized the Olympics as a great experience that the brutal beach heat didn't diminish. His Athens memories are many:

"Traffic, Greek salads, stray dogs, the Olympic Village, a guy chasing his three goats, multitudes of athletes, crazy sports, rampant emotions, tough competition, free stuff, beautiful sea, white buildings, heat and more heat served with sweat, getting ripped off by cab drivers, avoiding telling people you are from the USA, mass security, more free stuff, non-stop night life, and millions of cameras."

Through all that, Metzger managed 79 kills, 39 digs and five aces — all ranking in the top 16.

"I could not have had a better experience in Athens," Metzger said. "The memories will always be with me. When I finish my career, move back to Hawai'i, and reminisce on my years as a beach volleyball player, these past few weeks will rank at the top for intensity of competition and growth as an athlete and person."

Nik Berger

Finish: T17 (1-2)

The fate of Berger's second Olympics was all but sealed when his partner — Clemens Doppler — injured his knee last month and could not play. Berger ranked eighth in serving (four aces) and had 36 digs and 30 kills.

KAYAKING

Andy Bussey		Lauren Spalding
Kathy Colin

Finish: Semifinals K-2 1,000 (7th, 3:16.341)

Kathy Colin

Lauren Spalding

Finish: Semifinals K-4 500 (4th, 1:35.869)

Finish: Semifinals K-2 500 (7th, 1:46.786)

Bussey, 25, and Spalding, 24, are looked to as the future of U.S. kayaking. Colin, 30, is looking forward to reclaiming a "normal life" after her second Olympics.

The women's K4 boat was just two-tenths of a second from advancing to the final, while Bussey and partner Jeff Smoke beat their previous best time by three seconds in the semifinals, in only their second event together.

WATER POLO

Brandon Brooks

Marie-Luc Arpin

Finish: 7th (4-3)

Marie-Luc Arpin (Canada)

Finish: 7th (2-2)

The U.S. men and Canadian women left Athens criticizing a format that put them in what they felt were too-tough pools.

The U.S. team was fourth in a bracket where the top three teams advanced to medal games. The Americans rallied to upset second-ranked Italy in the seventh-place game.

The angry Canadian women's team took out its frustration on Kazakstan with a 10-4 victory in the seventh-place game.

"It's such a joke this tournament format," said Canadian coach Pat Oaten. "I feel for the athletes. They played the best water polo they played in years."

Arpin plans to finish her degree in mechanical engineering and "probably play water polo for one more year."

SOFTBALL

Kristy Odamura		Brooke Wilkins
Stacey Porter

Finish: 5th (3-4)

Stacey Porter (Australia)

Brooke Wilkins (Australia)

Finish: Silver medal (7-3)

After consecutive bronze-medal finishes, Australia broke through to win silver in Athens. It was a distant second, scoring the only run against unbeatable Team USA.

University of Hawai'i senior Stacey Porter singled in that run, but the Aussies lost 5-1 in the gold-medal game. Porter finished the tournament ninth in slugging percentage (.464), with two homers.

Former Rainbow Wahine All-American Brooke Wilkins could not overcome control problems, with 13 walks in just 2 1/3 innings.

Canada improved on its ranking (7) and 2000 Olympic finish (8), but finished "a few outs away" from the top-four playoff, according to head coach Mike Renney. The Canadians upset No. 2-ranked Japan and lost to Australia, 1-0.

Tania (Brunton) Tupu

Tania (Brunton) Tupu (New Zealand)

Finish: 8th (2-5)

The Tall Ferns won twice as many games as in their only previous Olympics and surprisingly advanced to the quarterfinals.