He sprints, jumps and throws with the best, but Bryan Clay, the "World's Greatest Athlete," drew upon the support of his loved ones when he couldn't seem to get past an emotional hurdle.

When he struggled, it was a book compiled by his wife, Sarah, filled with messages sent to him from friends and family across the country that helped him regain his confidence.

"I could only get through a couple of them because I would start to cry before I got too far into them," said Clay, the Olympic decathlon gold medalist and Castle High alum. "The overwhelming feeling I would get is that I was loved and supported and I honestly felt I was loved and supported more than anyone else going into the Olympic Games."

Clay was finding it difficult to have fun — "because if I could (have fun), I knew I was going to compete very, very well," he said — because the pressure of what he was up against as one of the favorites of the Beijing Olympics decathlon.

"I got so stressed out, I couldn't sleep," he said.

But reading those notes, he said, made him realize that "no matter what happened, whether I won or if I lost, whether I finished or didn't finish, I was coming home to people who were going to love and support me anyways."

Yesterday, on his first day back in Hawai'i following the Olympics, he was able to see that support in person.

Several hundred Clay fans showed up to express their support at his first public appearance yesterday, at the Royal Hawaiian Center.

Waikiki resident Dawn Ward, originally from Australia, was struck by how "down to earth" Clay was.

"He really is a hometown hero," she said. "It was exciting to see Natasha Kai, the volleyball teams, the Little League team, and how the whole state supports them."

Ten-year-old Jonathan Abe was waiting in line to meet and get an autograph from Clay, after being inspired by the athlete's words.

"He motivates me with his inspirational speeches," said Jonathan of Hawai'i Kai. "He says, 'Success comes with hard work.' "

Jonathan used to run track, but gave it up to play soccer. Seeing Clay influenced a return to the sport.

"I'm very happy because I get to meet a decathlon gold medalist in person," Jonathan said.

Jin De Silva, 80, of Hawai'i Kai by way of Sri Lanka, added a pair of Clay-autographed Beijing Olympic tickets to his collection of more than 8,000 Olympic memorabilia.

"It's a wonderful experience," De Silva said. "Very seldom do you get to see a Hawai'i athlete winning a gold medal."

Victoria El-Swaify, a 16-year-old 'Aiea High School junior, was wearing a bright yellow T-shirt with the words "Team Clay" across the front. She was with a group of about 25 other members of the Faith Christian Fellowship Church who came out to support Clay.

"It's pretty awesome," she said. "Seeing someone on TV and being able to see them in person, it's a cool thing to do."

Annette Tashiro of Kane'ohe remembers Clay running around the neighborhood to train for his track seasons when he was in high school.

"I knew he was amazing," she said. "He had asthma, and he was always sick. But he graduated from high school and he went to college and he graduated. I always knew he could be an amazing person."

David Lien, his wife, Esther, daughter Abigail, 4, and son Benjamin, 2, waited at the Royal Hawaiian Center while passing time until their evening flight back home to Los Angeles.

"It would feel good that you have a genuine local guy doing well," said Lien, who knew about Clay's accomplishments. "He seems really humble; it didn't seem to go to his head. He represented America very well."

Gov. Linda Lingle was among those wanting to show their support for Clay's achievements. Earlier yesterday, she applauded him in a news conference, saying he was an inspiration to children everywhere with a dream.

"What an exciting day for us to have Bryan Clay here, home in Hawai'i," said Lingle, who came into the event wearing the gold medal Clay won in Beijing.

Lingle also declared yesterday "Bryan Clay Day."

"Bryan does our state proud," she said.

Clay told reporters that after so many months of training and competition, he is looking forward to a little down time in the Islands. During his vacation in Hawai'i, he plans to catch up with family and, of course, eat at Zippy's.

He said he plans to continue training to compete in the 2012 summer Olympics in London. But, he said, he also wants to dedicate more time to his humanitarian efforts and to the Bryan Clay Foundation, which helps underprivileged youth and schools.

He said he hopes his win inspires other kids, especially those in Hawai'i.

Clay, once an at-risk youth who didn't do particularly well in school, said he wants children from all sorts of backgrounds to know their dreams are possible.

"We have so much talent in Hawai'i," he said. "If you just stay focused on your dream, you can do anything."

Advertiser staff writer Mary Vorsino contributed to this report.