Bryan Clay won the decathlon at the 2008 Olympics, and according to tradition will be called the "best athlete in the world," as past winners, such as Bruce Jenner, Dan O"Brien, and Jim Thorpe, have been. Forget using his success to go from a little known athlete, to becoming rich by using his new found fame for endorsements for various products, because Bryan Clay has more important missions in life. That doesn't necessarily mean that nobody will offer him big deals, or that he won't take any. It does mean, however, that Bryan Clay is more concerned with helping underprivileged students and sharing his Christian faith than he is in using his fame to glorify himself. .
It's no wonder decathlon winners are considered the best athletes in the world. According to the website, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decathlon, for two days the best athletes from around the planet participate in several grueling events, in an attempt to get the best finish in each and garner enough points to win the tiring Olympic event. During the two days, athletes participate in a 100 meters race, the high jump, the shot put, the long jump, the 400 meters race, the 110 meters hurdles, the pole vault, the discus, the javelin, and the 1500 meters. Competitors gain points depending on how well they finish in each event. .
Bryan Clay won the long jump, the 100 meter race, and the discus throw. He was second in the 100 meter hurdles, and the 110 meter hurdles. Clay finished third in the javelin throw and the pole vault. With such high finishes in so many events, Clay won the decathlon, despite being 23rd in the 1500 meters.
Bryan Clay is one successful athlete who demonstrates he is concerned with more things in life that just making a name for himself, or using his fame to make himself rich. His Bryan Clay Foundation exists to help underprivileged high school students further their education by providing academic and athletic scholarships.
