In front of our eyes, Bryan Clay transformed himself from troubled boy wonder at Castle High School to the spectacular young man who won a silver medal at Athens. Four years later, as he closes on the Olympics of his dreams, Clay has become the man in the decathlon.

"I really believe I can win a gold medal now," said Clay, 28. "I think it is mine to give away, basically. If I'm doing what I need to do, I think the gold should be there."

Fittingly, Clay made that comment while buying Olympic trials souvenirs with wife Sarah, son Jacob, 3 and daughter Kate, 1. He had just dominated the decathlon, with the sixth-best score in history (8,832 points). Yet Clay had already returned to the balance in his life he has fought so hard to find since leaving Kane'ohe a decade ago.

The demands back then were daunting: His parents' divorce and a long period of acting out, finally tamed by track and field and the family's growing faith. Martin Hee, Clay's coach at Castle, is now 67 but can remember vividly explaining to Bryan's mother, Michele Vandenburg, why it was OK for her son to compete in so many events — beyond the knowledge that he was so good and it prevented him from getting into trouble.

"His mother was kinda concerned so I had to break it down to her," Hee recalled. "I told her, 'Michele, he only needs 12 seconds for the 100, 25 for the 200 and 60 for the 400. He only runs two minutes. The field events he only needs to focus a few seconds.' But I knew as long as he stayed occupied he knew what he had to do."

After Castle, Clay found more direction at Azusa Pacific, with its "God First" motto and track coach Kevin Reid, a multi-event specialist who helped Dan O'Brien, of "Dan and Dave" fame, to the bronze medal in 1992. Clay also met his wife and ultimately became the man with whom she wanted to share her "walk with God."

She supported him as a kindergarten teacher while he trained fulltime for the 2004 Olympics "and made my dream her dream."

That surprising early success did not bring great riches or fame. It did bring enough bonuses and endorsements that Sarah now stays home fulltime to raise Jacob and Kate, and enough acclaim that, going into Beijing, Bryan is featured on much more than a local Straub Clinic commercial.

"I'm making enough money to provide for my family," Clay recently said on the "Loose Cannons" sports radio show near his home. "If you're talking good money like the guy sitting at the end of the bench in the NBA ... nowhere close."

He stands behind Kahuku's Natasha Kai in the Olympic "Got Milk" ad and is featured with his kids in a Johnson & Johnson commercial and Morgan Freeman for Visa. NBC and US magazine will be doing features. A "Perfect 10" layout in Vogue's Shape Issue shows off Clay's form in decathlon events — with and without the Nike swoosh on his chest — while Victoria's Secret model Raquel Zimmerman shows off dresses.

Clay is also shirtless in an Ebony Olympic feature and an official "Olympic Hottie" in another magazine. The shirt came off again in a CNBC feature launching the national "Take Your Shirts Off to WIN" charity initiative, where Clay asks fans to donate gently used workout apparel to WIN Sport Detergent. It cleans the clothing and sends it to Giving is Winning, an organization that promotes sport activities for kids in refugee camps (see www.sweatlifter.com).

DEMANDING SCHEDULE

The constant training, traveling, texting and putting himself out there for everyone to see, on and off the track, makes his life now just as demanding as it was in those difficult days when he was finding his way in Hawai'i. Particularly for a guy who fought injuries last year — dropping to No. 6 in the world ranking — and finds it imperative to sit down to breakfast with his family every morning after lifting and before training.

"This was the Olympics he was really supposed to go to," his mother said. "Four years ago was a surprise. Since then he's had two children and faced a lot of injuries, which were both challenges. He's had to keep consistent not only with his athletics, but ... also to be a wonderful husband, son and father. To balance all of this is enormous."

It has helped, in every aspect of Clay's life, that faith is a priority. "He makes it a priority," Vandenburg said. "If he doesn't, nothing else makes sense."

Clay has regular meetings with the pastor of his church in California and is involved with accountability partners and bible study. He sets aside time to watch the kids and clean house so Sarah can stay involved with the women's ministry and her bible study.

'JUST ROLL WITH IT'

The decathlon is what he does after finding balance with faith and family, and he might do it better than anyone in history. The U.S. legacy is long and storied in the sport, with names like Jim Thorpe, Bob Mathias, Rafer Johnson, Bruce Jenner and Dan O'Brien. None crossed the 9,000-point threshold.

Only the Czech Republic's Roman Sebrle, the man who beat Clay for the gold four years ago, can make that claim. Clay believes he has it in him, and finds few doubters, particularly after Olympic trials. Hee was in Eugene, Ore., those two days, and feels Clay "left 200 points out there" the first day.

Clay agrees, arguing that two relatively poor events were all that kept him from the world record (9,026 points) last month.

"You just roll with it," Clay said. "A lot (in Beijing) just depends on conditions, the track, how hot it is, winds and all that. So much can play a factor. I definitely think a world record is possible; 9,100 (points) is possible. It's a matter of not making mistakes and getting into it."

Clay was the world's top-ranked decathlete before injuries dropped him. After the trials, he might be favored again.

University of Hawai'i senior Annett Wichmann, a two-time WAC heptathlete champ who finished sixth at the NCAA Championships in June, spent her summer home in Germany where "the general feeling in Europe is that he is the favorite," Wichmann said. "And that is my feeling as well, based on the ranking and on his performances the last few years.

"He is insanely fast. That benefits him in most of the events, plus he is a very good thrower. Most of the multi-events athletes that are that fast can usually jump very good, but then struggle with the throws. That he combines all that makes him a true decathlete. On top of everything, he almost has no weaknesses — the only thing might be the 1,500 meters but even that he can run if he has to — and that is also incredible."

In his entire decathlon career he has lost just one 100-meter race, when he was ill. While he was winning the 2005 World Championships in horrendous weather, he beat the field by 20 feet in the javelin, 12 feet in the discus and was second in the shot put by 1 1/2 inches.

PERFECT COMBINATION

This from the most menehune of world-class decathletes. Clay, who gives up five inches and 20 pounds to most opponents, has the speed of a little guy and throwing skills of a big guy. He seems to instantly process coaching input and have an innate awareness of every inch of his body, a huge part of his success in the more technical (throwing) events.

Clay believes it is "just a matter of time" before he puts all 10 events together. Now would be his time of choice. If he hits his personal bests in Beijing the total could come out to 9,300-plus.

It is all speculation in an event that Clay characterizes as "mentally, emotionally and spiritually draining," but it is a fascinating goal. Decathletes, a remarkably bonded bunch, face two straight 16-hour days. Clay loses anywhere from 5 to 15 pounds each day depending on conditions. He has lost as much as 10 pounds at a 4-hour practice.

The odds of putting it all together over such a long grind are not great, but Clay and Hee believe it is possible.

"He's doing his best right now," Hee said. "I cannot see anything going wrong as far as performance. It's like going for an at-bat and hitting a home run or triple. You've got to stay away from singles and strikeouts. That's how you get a world record. He dominates in the 100 and holds the (decathlon) world record in the discus. He just has to follow through on the other events."

Four years ago Clay's wife and Michele and Mike Vandenburgh did not go to Athens, to try to keep distractions to a minimum. This time they will be there, along with Hee, after dropping the kids off with Sarah's family in Seattle. Clay's grandparents — 84-year-old Tsumoru and 82-year-old Kay Ishimoto — will again go through the long decathlon days with him at the "Bird's Nest," along with a bunch more family and many friends.

LOOKING AHEAD

There may be a reunion in London in 2012. Clay believes he has one more Olympics in him, then who knows? Maybe acting or motivational speaking. Whatever works best with the balance so crucial to him. For now, it is all about Beijing.

"I'm already praying, for a long time now," Michele Vandenburg said. "I've been praying that he has God's protection around him. That He would strengthen him in every way — in his mind, his spirit, his soul. Put a hedge of protection around him and allow him to do what he has to do. I believe Bryan is so special. He has a message. Everything he does has a stand — God first, then family, then track. He's also done this Project Believe where he's been tested and tested and tested with others for drugs. He's taken a stand on that — on the integrity of his sport and training and what other athletes tried to destroy with drugs.

"As a parent, when your child makes that stand and continues to stand there through all the challenges he's met now ... how can you not be proud of that?"