Will Claye

Will Claye is an American track and field athlete born on 13th June 1991. He hails from Tucson city of Arizona in the United States. Claye represents the USA in Long Jump and Triple Jump internationally.

Background

Will Clay was born to William Clay Sr. and Saffi Tunis. His parents are originally from Sierra Leone, West Africa, but immigrated to the United States after his mother received a scholarship to enter the University of Arizona. Claye has two brothers, Taiyon Smith Claye and James Claye.

Will had a keen interest in athletics at a young age. He dabbled well in soccer while studying at high school. Claye attended Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he became a two-time Triple Jump champion in Arizona Interscholastic Association High School Championships.

After his high school education, Will Claye joined the University of Oklahoma and represented the college team Oklahoma Sooners at the NCAA Championships. After the 2010 NCAA outdoor season, Claye moved to the University of Florida, where he trained under Dick Booth.

Rise to Glory

Will Claye’s first career break came in 2009 when he triumphed the Triple Jump title for Oklahoma Sooners at the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championships. That year, he won the junior national Triple Jump title and a Silver medal in Long Jump at the U.S. Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships, followed by his first International title in Triple Jump at the Pan-American Junior Championship.

In 2011, Claye won two Silver medals in Triple Jump (17.09m) and Long Jump (8.19m) at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. That year, he won the NCAA indoor Triple Jump title and helped Florida Gators to win the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.

In 2012, Claye won an indoor Gold medal double in Triple Jump (17.63m) and Long Jump (8.02m) at the USA Indoor Track and Field Championships. In 2014, Will Claye won his first national outdoor title in Triple Jump with a distance of 17.75 meters at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Will Claye has a total of 4 national titles (indoor and outdoor combined) under his belt. He was a member of the U.S Olympic Team twice at the London Olympics (Triple Jump and Long Jump) and Rio Olympics (Triple Jump).

Major Achievements

Will Claye received his senior international breakthrough in 2011 when he won the Bronze medal in Triple Jump with a distance of 17.50 meters at the World Athletics Championships. He also competed in Long Jump but finished 9th by jumping 8.50 meters. Claye had won two Silver medals (2017 and 2019) and a Bronze (2013) in Triple Jump at the Worlds.

In 2012, Claye made his professional debut at the World Indoor Championships, where he clinched the Gold medal in Triple Jump by leaping 17.70-meter and finished 4th in Long Jump with a distance of 8.04 meters. That year, in August, he made his Olympic debut at the London Olympics and took home the Silver and Bronze medals in Triple Jump (17.62m) and Long Jump (8.12m), respectively.

In 2016, Will Claye made it to the podium with a Silver medal in Triple Jump with a leap of 17.76-meter at the Rio Olympics in Brazil. The following year, he finished as runner-up in the Diamond League. In 2018, Claye claimed his second Triple Jump indoor title at the World Indoor Championships.

Will Claye will compete in his third Olympics at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics and is in contention to win a medal in Triple Jump.