ill Claye earned a silver medal in the triple jump and a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2012 London Olympics. Claye, considered to be the best long and triple jumper, combined, in the world, also earned a gold medal in the triple jump at the World Indoor Track and Field Championships in Turkey in March. He won the bronze medal in the triple jump at the 2011 World
Outdoor Championships. His grandmother, brother and aunt live in London. Before this Olympics, Claye said his grandmother had never seen him triple jump and his brother hadn’t seen him triple jump in a while. Read this exclusive interview that Sports Spectrum partner 2K Plus International Sports Media had with Claye before the Olympics. Q. How did you begin triple jumping? A. I was a long jumper when I started high school and a hurdler. My high school coach saw something, and he had me do some bounds one day, and he felt I was able to triple jump; and after that, I started triple jumping. My first year jumping, I jumped 45
(feet). My sophomore year in high school, I went 49, and my junior year 52-4, and from there I just stuck with it and it’s been going well since. Q. I saw something that described you as the world’s leading long jumper and triple jumper combined. A. Yeah, it’s a blessing. A lot of people aren’t able to do that. And I feel like I’ve been blessed to do both at an elite level. So, just going to take advantage of it and hopefully, if it’s God’s will, I will go out there and win both long and triple.
Streeter Lecka / Getty Images
Bronze medalist Will Claye of the United States celebrates after the men’s long jump final at the London 2012 Olympic Games in Olympic Stadium. 26
SPORTS SPECTRUM ~ DIGIMAG 2012