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August 23, 2004 7:47 pm

Career-best day puts Clay third in decathlon

By ELLIOTT DENMAN

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - Hawaii's Bryan Clay has registered the best first-day decathlon score of his life, but his bid for an Olympic medal is no sure thing.

The 24-year-old Castle High School and Azusa Pacific College graduate was spectacular in his first four events Monday at Olympic Stadium, winning the first two outright.

But he ran into problems in the 400 meters that concluded the day's action and ended up in third place in the 39-man field with a 4,554-point total, 83 points ahead of his gold medal pace at last month's U.S. Olympic Trials in Sacramento, Calif.

``I don't know what the points are right now,'' he said, minutes after his first-day chores were concluded. ``But I think its anybody's ball game tomorrow, I really do.''

A 49.19 clocking in the 400, 1.34 seconds slower than his best, dropped him from second place after four events to third place after five.

An unannounced schedule change sent him out to run the 400 some 10 minutes before he was warmed up and ready.

``We thought we were going to be in the third heat, that's what was listed, but nobody told us there'd been a heat change,'' he said. ``So there just wasn't enough time.

``They can do what they want, I guess. You just have to roll with it.''

Tuesday's events are the 110 high hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1,500 meters, with Clay having a fighting chance of winding up on the podium.

Another rising young decathlete, 23-year-old Dmitriy Karpov of Kazakhstan, wrapped up a big day of his own with a 46.81 in the 400 and stands on top with a halfway total of 4,689 points.

World record-holder Roman Sebrle of Czech Republic is in second at 4,594, 40 points in front of Clay.

It's another 100 points back to fourth-place Dean Macey of Great Britain. Clay's American teammate, 2003 world champion Tom Pappas of Tennessee, struggled to fifth place with 4,415 points.

Clay easily outraced all competitors in the 100 meters with a 10.44-second performance, good for a 58-point lead.

He widened the gap with another win in the second event, the long jump, spanning 26 feet, 1 1/2 inches, his best this year.

Clay's 49-11 3/4 shot put and 6-9 high jump were good marks, before the problems of the 400.

``The 100 was a solid run, nothing special; the long jump was great, the shot was OK,'' said Clay.

``The pole vault's going to be the key to it all, it always is,'' predicted former decathlon gold medalist Dan O'Brien.

No one knows that better.

His famous no-height performance in the 1992 Olympic Trials cost him a ticket to the Barcelona Olympics.

Instead of that kind of misfortune, Clay, a 17-foot vaulter, hopes to rise to new heights at Olympic Stadium.

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