Clay Claims "World's Greatest Athlete" Moniker, Wins Olympic Decathlon

August 22, 2008 from USATF press release (BEIJING) Bryan Clay upgraded his 2004 silver medal to 2008 gold in the decathlon, dominating competition during Friday evening action at the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium. Clay (Glendora, CA) got his evening off to a very strong start, throwing a season-best 70.97m/232-10 to place third in the javelin. The performance earned him 904 points, bringing his total up to 8,269 with one event remaining in the 10-event competition. Ahead of the field by 479 points, his only competition was himself in the final event, the 1,500m.

Tactical women's 5,000m

In a race that took conservative pacing to new levels in the opening laps, Olympic Trials champion Kara Goucher (Portland, OR), 10,000m bronze medalist Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, NC) and three-time Olympian Jen Rhines (Mammoth Lakes, CA) put on their punching gloves and competed in a tactical and crowded women's 5,000m final.

Elvan Abeylegesse of Turkey led the entire field through 800m in approximately 2:54. The first kilometer was passed in 3:49, followed by a brief pace increase that led to 2 km in 6:45.4. But they slowed again. With three laps to go, steeplechase gold medalist Gulnara Galkina-Samitova of Russia picked up the pace, with 10,000m gold medalist Tirunesh Dibaba of Ethiopia in tow. With two laps left, Abeylegesse began to speed up in earnest, throwing in a 64-second lap, and with one left, the sprint was on. At the finish, it was Dibaba winning her second gold of the Games in 15:41.40, with Abeylegesse second in 15:42.74 and Meseret Defar of Ethiopia third in 15:44.12. Goucher ended ninth in 15:49.39, with Flanagan 10th in 15:50.80. Rhines was 14th in 16:34.63.

In 4x400m relay qualifying, the USA women's team of Mary Wineberg (Cincinnati, Ohio), Monique Henderson (Chula Vista, Calif.), Natasha Hastings (Clermont, Fla.) and Sanya Richards (Austin, Texas) ran 3:22.45 to win heat 2 and advance to Saturday's final. The men's team of 400m bronze medalist David Neville (Valencia, Calif.), 400m hurdles silver medalist Kerron Clement (Los Angeles), Reggie Witherspoon (Baltimore, Md.) and 400m hurdles gold medalist Angelo Taylor (Decatur, Ga.) won heat 1 in 2:59.98 to advance.

Another WR for Jamaica

The Jamaican men's 4x100m relay team closed out the evening in style, with Usain Bolt picking up his third world record and third gold medal of these Olympics. With Nesta Carter leading off to Michael Frater, Jamaica was relatively even with the field entering the third leg. Unfortunately for the rest of the field and for the existing WR, Bolt ran that leg and broke the race open. The 100 and 200m world record holder handed off to former 100m record holder Asafa Powell, who dug toward the finish line and crossed in 37.10, breaking the world and Olympic record of 37.40 held by the United States.

Team USA medal table, 2008 Olympic Games

GOLD (5)
Stephanie Brown Trafton (Galt, Calif.), women's discus, 64.74m/212-5
Angelo Taylor (Decatur, Ga.), men's 400m hurdles, 47.25
Dawn Harper (Los Angeles), women's 100m hurdles, 12.54
LaShawn Merritt (Suffolk, Va.), men's 400m, 43.75
Bryan Clay (Glendora, Calif.), decathlon, 8,791

SILVER (8)
Christian Cantwell (Columbia, Mo.), men's shot put, 21.09m/69-2.5
Jenn Stuczynski (Churchville, N.Y.), women's pole vault, 4.80m/15-9
Kerron Clement (Los Angeles), men's 400m hurdles, 47.98
Sheena Johnson Tosta (Chula Vista, Calif.), women's 400m hurdles, 53.70.
Shawn Crawford (Los Angeles), men's 200m, 19.96
Jeremy Wariner (Waco, Texas), men's 400m, 44.74
David Payne (Hampton, Va.), men's 110m hurdles, 13.17
Allyson Felix (Los Angeles), women's 200, 21.93

BRONZE (8)
Shalane Flanagan (Pittsboro, N.C.), women's 10,000m, 30:22.22AR
Hyleas Fountain (Kettering, Ohio), women's heptathlon, 6619 points
Walter Dix (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), men's 100m, 9.91
Bershawn Jackson (Raleigh, N.C.), men's 400m hurdles, 48.06
Sanya Richards (Austin, Texas), women's 400m, 49.93
Walter Dix (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), men's 200m, 19.98
David Neville (Los Angeles), men's 400m, 44.80
David Oliver (Kissimmee, Fla.), men's 110m hurdles, 13.18

For more information on Team USA at the Olympic Games, including athlete quotes, event schedule, TV schedule and complete results, visit www.usatf.org