T&Fn Interview
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T&FN INTERVIEW Will Claye by Sieg Lindstrom ot just a man of the triple jump—the runway, which I feel is making a event in which he has most excelled—Will big difference at practice. I hope NClaye is also not just a versatile horizontal that it translates to track meets. jumper who had two Olympic medals to show for it And in the triple jump I’m by age 21 in ’12. As he explained in our chat he’s seeing a lot of improvements also a man of varied off-the-track interests from based off of one small technique fashion to philanthropy. change that I did. I used to come While Claye, who trains with coach Jeremy off the board with double arms; Fischer at Chula Vista’s Olympic Training Center, now I come off single-arm says his sport is job No. 1, he pursues his other similar to Jonathan Edwards. passions with more than cursory determination. So I feel a big difference in that. For evidence look no farther than the Will Claye T&FN: Had you ever tried Day he held in Gainesville, Florida, last fall and that single-arm takeoff technique plans to repeat. In 24 hours Claye visited and helped before? out a boys & girls club and a juvenile detention Claye: The day that I started center. He did a golf scrambler to aid a charity for triple jumping it was double- Downs Syndrome children, cooked breakfast at arm so it was quite the habit an American Cancer Society home and spent the to break but we worked on it. late evening hours delivering care packages to and I jumped at the Armory meeting homeless people. Invitational indoors and if you With the ’14 USATF TJ and ’15 USATF indoor watch the video it looks really LJ titles the latest feathers in his cap, Claye began awkward. At that point I didn’t this chat on the job 1 topic, his jumping. have it down yet; I was still Claye: Everything’s going great. I’m just trying to learn it but I just was preparing myself for the outdoor season, try- telling myself, “Don’t revert, ing to build a good foundation that I can stand don’t revert back.” Sometimes you get put in a stressful situation and Claye In A Nutshell you’ll revert back to your old •Personal: William Bundu Claye was born June 13, ways so I was telling myself 1991, in Tucson, Arizona; 5-11/160 (180/72) to stick with it. After that I •PRs: LJ—27-2½/8.29 (’11); kept working on it and now TJ—58-3/17.75 (’14) (7, x A) it feels natural. •Schools: Mountain Pointe (Phoenix) HS ’08; Okla- T&FN: Which event is your homa ’10, Florida ’12; now represents Nike favorite? •Coaches: Larry Todd (HS); Jeremy Fischer (Oklahoma Claye: I would say the & pro); Dick Booth (Florida) triple jump. I like the triple •Major Meets: jump more and I know the LJ—3)NCi, 9)NC, 2)USJ ’09; 2)NCi, 3)NC, 2)US, 9) triple jump more. For the WC ’11; 2)USi, 4)WCi, 2)OT, 3)OG ’12; 7)US ’13; 5) most part, when I long jump USi ’14; 1)USi ’15 TJ—2)NCi, 1)NC, 1)USJ ’09; 10)NC ’10; 1)NCi, 2)NC, it’s me just getting on the run- 2)US, 3)WC ’11; 1)NCi, 1)WCi, 2)OT, 2)OG ’12; 2)US, way and using my God-given 3)WC ’13; 1)US ’14 talent and not really knowing •World/U.S. Rankings: exactly what positions I’m in. LJ—x/2 ’11; 7/1 ’12; x/7 ’13; x/4 ’14; It’s just jumping. TJ—x/2 ’09; 5/2 ’11; 2/2 ’12; 4/2 ’13; 2/2 ’14 But the triple jump I know technically; I know how I’m supposed to feel if I’m doing upon all the way up until September. We have it right, and I know if I’m doing a long season so you really need to have a good it wrong. I know the triple jump base under you. better and I think that’s why I T&FN: Have you changed anything for ’15? like it better right now, but that Any technique adjustments or decisions to empha- can change, though. “When I step on that size one event more than the other? I feel like this year may be Claye: You know what? My long jump is the year where I won’t be able runway I feel inspired by actually coming along really well. I’m actually to pick one. learning to long jump the right way. I switched T&FN: So two more medals Muhammad Ali… I want to a hitchkick this year and that’s coming along in Rio then? really well. I changed just a few minor things Claye: Yes, sir, that’s the to be the Cassius Clay of technically in my approach coming down the goal, God willing. That’s what track & field” 18 — June 2015 Track & Field News I’m training for and I really believe when I step on that runway I feel inspired by that I can go and win a gold medal Muhammad Ali. Just from watching him and in both jumps. studying him, how confident he was when he T&FN: Is there one jump in your got into that ring because he knew the work career that’s felt the closest to perfection? that he’d put in and he knew that no one else Claye: I had maybe three jumps outworked him, that’s something I took away like that. One of them I didn’t finish. and was inspired by. I was so excited in the middle of it I want to be the Cassius Clay of track & field. that I did it right that I couldn’t even T&FN: Before the Millrose Games this winter finish it. That was my last jump in the Olympic finals. I just had so much adrenaline going and I Doing It For His Country was the last jumper. I just went T&FN: You’ve used the phrase “surfing to for it and I hit it right and I was myself.” That makes me want to ask about another like, “Oh, man, this is it!” interesting t-shirt you have for sale on your site. Then I just fell out of it; it It’s called “Unseen” and depicts you wearing was the one of the worst feelings your Olympic medals, the American flag and a ever but that was one of them. ski mask. Is that a commentary on something? Another was at the 2012 World Claye: Man, I’ve gotten a lot of flak on Indoor [where he won gold]. that photo. A lot of people saw it the wrong I had a pretty big foul that way. I can’t be mad at them. I have a ski mask was a toe foul and it was a bit on and most times when somebody has a ski further than what I had jumped. mask on they’re doing something bad. I won with 17.70 [58-1] and that But when I did that photo shoot with a [foul] was farther than that so friend of mine the vision was to show the only God knows how far it was. world that what I’m doing is not for Will That was one I wish that I Claye. I’m not just out here to build my name could have got back, but one of up and put my face out there and just make the best jumps I’ve had was at it The Will Claye Show. Sacramento last year at USAs. It I wanted it to be known that whatever I felt amazing. That is one of the do is for my country—that’s why I had the best tracks; we should definitely United States flag on my shoulders—and my have USAs there again. But I hit family and my God. I had just come back from a big jump there. I didn’t even the Olympics and I had the medals on. It was touch the board when I took off. just me showing the world that this is not for Again, I got excited in the air me but it’s for all of us together. and kind of rushed my landing As divided as our country is, I feel like it’s and ended up in the stands with up to people like us, Olympians and people my family. But that was one too that have high statuses, to try to bring our where I could say I did almost communities together; that’s up to us. everything right. I really do this for my people and I really T&FN: What does that feel like want the United States to get better. There’s a as you’re doing it? lot of things that can be better. If we continue Claye: It really feels like a to unite just a little bit more then in the years stone skipping across the water. to come when I have kids and they have kids You kind of feel like you’re just it will be a bit different. floating on top of the ground, like you don’t hit the ground and you’re just flying. That’s when you you held a pop-up event at a sneaker boutique near know you’re doing it right.