The Olympic decathlon winner is traditionally referred to as the world's greatest athlete, and for the first time since the 1996 Games, that title goes to an American.
Bryan Clay won the event today with 8,791 points, topping silver medalist Andrei Krauchanka of Belarus (8,551 points), and bronze medalist Leonel Suarez of Cuba (8,527 points). Clay had previously won the 2004 Olympic silver medal and the 2005 world championship.
Clay's best event was the long jump, in which he led all athletes and earned 1,005 points with a jump of 7.78 meters (25 feet, 6 inches). In fact, Clay's long jump was the best showing that any decathlete had in any event and the only event in which any competitor topped 1,000 points.
Clay also led the field in the 100-meter dash, with a time of 10.44 seconds, and the discus, which he threw 53.79 meters (176 feet, 6 inches).
Dan O'Brien was the last American to win the Olympic decathlon.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-22-2008 @ 12:12PM
Teresa said...
Glad he won the gold. But a little disturbed by his comment to reporter after he ran the hurdles. He's exhausted, but he refers to the Olympics and his competition in it as, 'Glad to be here but I just want to get this thing done with and go home'. 'Thing' - your in the Olympics. Oh well, I guess being in the 'Thing' just doesn't feel great for some people. Can't wait to see the coverage of him getting gold later to see how he responds to being in the Olympics then.
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8-22-2008 @ 4:15PM
Jan said...
I think all of the atheletes probably said or thought the same thing as Mr. Clay. The Decathalon is a long and grueling event for the contestants and I want to congratulate Mr. Clay. If he was breathless and said the "thing" I can't blame him for saying that because he worked hard for four years and it was finally over for this Olympics. Well done, well said. Big gold.
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8-22-2008 @ 9:32PM
Vaan said...
Congrads, Hard work and dedication will get the task done. Well done indeed...
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8-23-2008 @ 10:36AM
JudKast said...
Any athlete needs to be a little more concerned in how they present themselves and what they say. I don't think Mr. Clay meant anything about what he said - referring to the event as this"Thing" but he needs to be a little more cognizant to what he says and how he says it. He is probably a bit immature and nieve and this should be excused.
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8-26-2008 @ 3:15PM
Jesse Cox said...
Mr. Clay - congratulations on a job well done. You've made yourself and America proud through your hard work and desire to achieve excellence. The decathlon deserves much more of the media networks and the world's attention. More than a singular sport like swimming. Most exercise experts will tell you - the decathlon is the most challenging event in the Olympics. The modern event is a combination of athletic disciplines, testing an individual’s speed, strength, skill, stamina, endurance, and perseverance; it includes five events on each of two successive days. The emphasis of the first day is on speed, explosive power, and jumping ability; the second emphasizes technique and endurance. Accordingly, I believe that each event in the decathlon should allow the participant to win a gold, silver or bronze medal. In the end the participants can earn as many as 10 gold medals plus another medal to go to the overall winner for a total of 11 medals. This would truly recognize the winner of the decathlon as the "world's greatest athlete" and give the winner the recognition he deserves.
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