I became a Bryan Clay fan during the 2004 Olympics, when all I knew about him was that he was a world-caliber athlete and that we had graduated from the same high school, albeit years apart.
Four years later, it was breathtaking to watch his performance in the 2008 Olympics and to celebrate his perseverance. Local and national stories focused on Clay's training and athleticism rather than on his life journey and choices: understandable, perhaps, in this age of the pithy sound bite, but not satisfying. Watching Clay and the other decathletes, it was obvious that their training and competitions are exacting and exhausting, and I wondered how they summon the mental and physical stamina to succeed simultaneously in multiple disciplines. However, decathletes seem to be like comets -- they blaze briefly and gloriously in predetermined four-year cycles -- so I was eager to read this memoir.
In "Redemption," Clay describes his journey of becoming an athlete and adult. He is detailed about his athletic development in a way that is comprehensible and interesting for laypeople. Equally intriguing are the glimpses he shares about his development as person. Vignettes from his childhood, including long hours with the family business, hint at the sources of his stamina and attention to detail. Candid retellings of miscues and missed choices show the development of a person who is willing to grow. I am being purposefully vague here because you should read those sections in his voice, unfiltered.
In 2012, Bryan Clay was poised to bring his best to London, but that didn't happen. He had a rough qualification meet in hurdles and discus, and did not place high enough to earn a spot on the three-man U.S. decathlon delegation. His memoir ends before the 2012 U.S. trials, so it does not describe how he continued to live his principles. However, readers of "Redemption" likely could have predicted how Clay chose to proceed. Rather than petition the U.S. Track and Field organization to allow him or another athlete to fill the vacant third spot, Clay decided to support the sport he loves from the sidelines.
Said Clay in a written statement at the time: "My love of the sport compels me to preserve its integrity. For this reason, and though it pains me, I believe that the USATF's decision to take only two decathletes to London is the right one. Ultimately, it is in the best interest of the sport to keep the integrity of the rules in place."
Bryan Clay's story is not over, and neither is his influence on athletics and sportsmanship.
