Olympic champion Bryan Clay on the wheaties cereal box (© Freelance)
Olympic champion Bryan Clay is now back into training after enjoying celebrity time which included appearances on the Oprah Winfrey and David Letterman show as well as being the face of cereal boxes!
“Aloha!
“Life is good although it’s been really busy since the Olympics and only now am I able to settle down.
“Much of my time has been spent dealing with all the attention. I’ve made a lot of appearances since the Olympics. I usually take my gold medal with me when I go to an event and let people touch it and feel it. I kind of feel that if you can’t enjoy it with people then what’s the point? People find inspiration in touching it and getting to hold it.
“There has definitely been more opportunities presented to me because of the gold medal. We are looking at the possibility of some books and different television shows and sponsorship. We are trying to make the best decisions we can and really trying to put things out there that are going to encourage people to be the best they can be.
“There’s all kind of things, there’s some children’s book ideas I have had for a long time, a few books - I don’t want to give it away - somewhat of motivational book, nothing like a memoir but we will see where it will go. We have been talking with writers and publishing companies.
“Of course being on the cover of the “Wheaties” cereal box is something that came out of the Olympics and that is a lot of fun. And, I have also signed a five year deal with General Mills as a sponsor. So there are some exciting things coming up.
“It was a lot of fun meeting Oprah and of course it was a lot of fun being on the David Letterman Show but for me the highlight has been meeting people that have come up to me and said "my son or daughter is totally inspired by your achievement.”
“One couple I met were in the hospital during the Olympics. The husband was really sick and the only thing that got them through was watching me in the Olympic decathlon. Meeting people who I have been able to impact through athletics has been most rewarding.
“We took a long time off, about four months, and since then I have been back to training slowly - because it was so nice to have time off and spend time with family and with my friends. Practice-wise, I have actually got back to where I was before the Olympics so that has been good.
“Going into a World Championship year when you do the Decathlon it’s so much about consistency. It’s like a ladder. You are building upon your skills each year. So to have an amazing year last year, I was able to stay completely healthy, I am filled with excitement thinking about what is to come if I can build upon last year.
“There’s the possibility of doing some really, really amazing things on the track. That excites me and makes me want to push myself and see how good I can be.
“That’s all for now.
“Take Care!”
Bryan
