Local Athlete Snags Silver

American athlete Will Claye won a silver medal in the men's triple jump on Thursday.

Claye, who trains at the Chula Vista Olympic Training center, lost the gold to American teammate Christian Taylor.

On Saturday, Claye won a bronze medal for the men's long jump. He celebrated by using an American flag as a cape and clutching a Bible.

Claye made history by medaling in a second horizontal jump event. He's the first athlete to accomplish the feat at the same games since Japan’s Naoto Tajima in 1936.

He also won the triple jump USA indoor championships this spring.

At 5'11 he's actually on the shorter side for triple jumpers, but turns out that's an advantage. With a 34-inch inseam he should be closer to 6-foot-3-inches, which means his torso has less weight. The physics of it all equals a huge advantage in an event where the body is rotating forward, assisting him with the jump.

"Yeah, I'm not the tallest guy out there," Claye told NBC 7 San Diego in a past interview. "But, uh, you know I have long legs. So that definitely helps me to get out there and jump with those guys."

The Florida College student took one semester off to train full time at the Olympic Training Center for a chance that only comes every four years.
 

Get Olympic updates: iPad App | iPhone App | Android App | Facebook | Twitter | Google+ | Instagram | RSS | Text Alerts | Email Alerts

Contact Us