Hitting the track makes Will Claye feel like a “superhero,” and what’s any superhero without a costume? The three-time Olympic track medalist said whenever he receives his uniform, he never takes it out of the bag until like the day he’s competing. And when he does put it on, it’s “just a different type of energy.”
Preparing for his fourth Olympic games, Claye is grateful for his journey. Competing for the U.S. means “representing the best country in the world.” In three games, he holds two silver medals for the triple jump events in 2022 and 2016 and one bronze for a long jump event in 2012. He placed fourth for the long jump event in 2020.
“For our sport, if you make the Olympic team for the U.S., you’re almost a lock to get a medal at the Olympics,” he said. “I think representing a country like the U.S. that is just so respected throughout the whole world, it’s just an honor.”
That’s not the only thing he’s grateful for. Claye’s partnership with Red Bull has allowed him to have opportunities beyond his sport. Claye doubles as an R&B artist who started his music career after his first Olympics in 2013. His songs have garnered millions of streams on Spotify.
“I got connected with an artist named YG in Los Angeles ,and he put me in the studio with him,” Claye said. “From there on, I said ‘I’m going to really dive into this and really do it.’ From there, it’s been another creative outlet as far as being able to connect with people and just being able to let my thoughts and ideas and feelings flow freely.”
Claye is an original off and on the track. His presence is unmistakable with his signature Red Bull can at his start.
“I always have a Red Bull as my start point, because you have to measure where you start so that you can hit the board in the right spot,” he said. “I’ll place my Red Bull can where my start mark is— that’s my thing because no one else has a Red Bull can out there besides me.”
Claye’s main motivation is “seeing younger athletes like gunning to become greater than me at some point and try and take inspiration from things that I’ve done within the sport.” The idea of the next generation nipping at your heels might seem scary to some, but a true original like Claye knows they can never be duplicated.
