When Bryan Clay begins competition tomorrow in a two-day, 10-event competition at the world track and field championships, he knows fame and money will not necessarily be at stake. Advertiser file photo

Clay, a Castle High alum from Kane'ohe, follows in the footsteps of Rafer Johnson, Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien, yet Clay knows he's nowhere near as well known, or appreciated, as they were.

Maybe it's the decline in interest in the sport in general, and the decathlon specifically, in the United States, he said. Maybe it's squeaky-clean but less-than-electric public persona.

"I do have a very strong personality, I'm very opinionated," Clay said in an interview this week. "But I like to go get my job done and go home. I'm not trying to make people look at me I think that does kind of hurt me for marketing and things like that."

Whatever the reason, when Clay begins competition Friday in the exhausting two-day, 10-event competition at the world track and field championships, he knows fame and money will not necessarily be at stake.

It will, though, culminate a journey to his roots. His mother is Japanese and he has many relatives here. This, though, is the first time he's been to Japan.

"I love the sport," he said. "I love one-on-one competition. I had to learn that at a very young age. When I was doing track and field in Hawaii I had very, very good people in my life that were helping guide me every time I got turned in the wrong direction. They were always there pushing me down the right path and reminding me why we do it."

Clay knows he is not as entertaining in interviews as some of his more well-known contemporaries.

"Personality-wise I'm not like Maurice Greene or Jon Drummond or Breaux Greer," he said. "Don't get me wrong, I love the guy. Breaux's a good friend of mine and the guy kills me. I was sitting in a cab with him the other night and we're just shaking our heads the whole time because the guy was unbelievable, but that's not my personality."

It's not that Clay is without support, principally from Nike, but he has not reaped major endorsement deals elsewhere.

"I always wish that they'd want somebody that lives a good life, takes pride in the things he or she does and says and wants to be a good role model," Clay said, "a person who lives off the track and on the track the same, a transparent life where you're not afraid to be in public because you know nothing bad is going to come out."

After lengthy therapy, the nagging soreness in his left knee has disappeared.

"The only other time I came into a competition with no injuries and nothing hurting was in Athens," Clay said, "and I did well there, so I'm expecting to do well. I expect nothing but the best from my body."

His competitors tower over Clay, who stands just 5-foot-11 and weighs 185 pounds. Yet at the 2004 Athens Olympics, he was second to Czech great Roman Sebrle for a silver medal. Clay's 8,820 points there remain a personal best. Among Americans, only O'Brien has scored more.

A year later, at the world championships in Helsinki, Clay beat Sebrle for the title.

Yet Clay is not considered the favorite in Osaka. Sebrle, the world record holder, will be highly motivated by the fact he has never won a world title. Twice he has finished second behind an American — Tom Pappas in 2001 and Clay in 2003. Pappas is back at the worlds this year after a lengthy series of injuries.

Sebrle has the top mark this year at 8,697 points.

Clay has completed one decathlon this year, the annual multi-event competition in Goetzis, Austria. After the discus slipped out of his hand in one throw and he fouled the other two, Clay still managed third with 8,493 points. Sebrle was second at 8,518 and Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus the winner at 8,617. A month later, Sebrle scored a world-leading 8,697.

When Clay returned to his home in Azusa, Calif., he felt awful.

"I don't know if it was the 10-hour plane ride. I don't know what it was," he said, "but when I got back, my body was just totally beat up."

Especially troubling was his knee, which would swell up after just a little exercise. An MRI showed no structural damage, and he decided to show up to defend his U.S. title in June, where he withdrew after four events.

He credits physical therapy for finally eliminating the knee pain, and although he has the fourth-best mark in the world this year in the decathlon, he expects to challenge his personal bests in just about every event except the last one, the 1,500.