Clay Surprises in Decathlon

There were so many questions swirling about the finish of Saturday’s decathlon at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials.

What happened to Tom Pappas?

Who is Bryan Clay?

What about that flag Clay had draped over his shoulders like the robe of a heavyweight champion?

What’s the deal with Azusa Pacific and decathlon champions?

A dozen years after Dave Johnson brought the Azusa Pacific banner to Barcelona, Clay is following in the same footsteps from the foothills. By setting three individual records in his last four events Saturday, Clay upset defending world champion Pappas for first place at the trials, prompting more questions at the post-competition news conference.

Remember “Dan and Dave” and the Dan O’Brien-Johnson pre-Barcelona marketing campaign that failed to make it out of the 1992 trials when O’Brien failed to mark in the pole vault?

Pappas and Clay were asked how they saw themselves comparing with Dan and Dave.

“Well,” Pappas said after a brief pause to think about it, “we both made the team.”

With that, a roomful of dehydrated sportswriters broke out in laughter and for the first time since leaving the Cal State Sacramento track, a smile returned to Pappas’ face.

Pappas’ anticipated Athens showdown with the Czech Republic’s Roman Sebrle took on some unexpected weight, about 174 pounds of it, with Clay’s personal-best score of 8,660 eclipsing Pappas’ 8,517 for the U.S. title. Clay said he wasn’t surprised, but aside from his Azusa Pacific training staff -- and maybe Sebrle, tracking the events in Sacramento on a far-away computer -- he belonged to a tiny minority.

Clay last performed in a competitive decathlon a year ago, at the 2003 U.S. championships. He did compete at this year’s World Indoor Heptathlon, where he recorded the second-best U.S. score (6,365) and finished second to Sebrle.

Afterward, an impressed Sebrle said, “It’s not Tom Pappas anymore. It’s Bryan too.”

Clay said he “knew something great was going to happen” at the trials. “If you look at my indoor score, that alone should tell you that I was ready to compete, getting the second all-time highest score by an American indoors. I don’t know if a lot of people know that. I’m quite proud of that.

“I think I’m going to go there and give Tom and Roman a run for their money.”

By the time he had finished with his work Saturday, Clay was also earning plaudits from Bob Mathias, gold medalist in 1948 and ’52.

“He’s like Daley Thompson,” Mathias said of Clay, who stands 5 feet 11 inches. “He’s not a tall guy. But Daley was terrific. [Clay] has tremendous style and form in everything he does. It’s not surprising. He has the technique that enables him to do these things.”

Third place went to Paul Terek, who held off Phil McMullen to clinch the final berth on the U.S. Olympic team, 8,312 to 8,285.

Pappas began the day ahead of Clay by three points, an advantage he maintained as both athletes ran the same time in the 110-meter hurdles, 14.23 seconds.

After that, Clay reeled off three consecutive personal bests in the discus throw (170-11), the pole vault (16-8 3/4) and the javelin throw (224-3). Clay assumed a 107-point lead after the discus, improving the margin to 253 points entering the last event, the 1,500 meters.

Clay did not finish particularly strongly, grinding out a time of 5:06.18, but he protected his lead to take away the top step on the medals podium from Pappas.

Clay, a 24-year-old of Japanese and African-American descent, completed the awards ceremony wrapped in the Hawaii state flag. Clay lived in Hawaii from the age of 5 until enrolling at Azusa Pacific on the suggestion of 2000 Olympic bronze medalist Chris Huffins at a track clinic during Clay’s sophomore year at Castle High.

“Hawaii is where my support staff is,” said Clay. “You never forget where you’re from.”

And how about where Clay is now headed? To Athens, as the reigning U.S. decathlon champion -- with, he says, room for improvement.

“I think I left a lot of points out there today,” he said. “I think the score kind of surprised everybody ... but I don’t think what people realize is that I’m a lot better in a lot of the individual events. I’m just starting to come around. It’s exciting to think I have six more weeks to iron some of the kinks out.”

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(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

U.S. Olympic

Track and Field Trials

* When: Today.

* Where: Cal State Sacramento.

* TV: 7 p.m., Channel 4 (delayed).

TODAY’S WOMEN’S FINALS

20,000-meter race walk, pole vault, 1,500, 100-meter hurdles, 200

TODAY’S MEN’S FINALS

Discus, high jump, 1,500, 110-meter hurdles, 200