Event No. 11
By B.J. Reyes
Lt. Gov. James “Duke” Aiona invoked his name on the floor of the Republican National Convention last night, so why not have the real thing show up a night later.
If you missed it, that was Olympic decathlon gold medalist Bryan Clay — gold medal around his neck — taking his turn at the podium one night after Gov. Linda Lingle took center stage in prime time with her introduction of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.
Lingle adviser Lenny Klompus says the idea was hatched a week ago, after the governor’s office honored the Castle High School graduate with a ceremony proclaiming Bryan Clay Day in Hawaii. Klompus says after the ceremony, Clay was talking with the governor about his admiration of Sen. John McCain and how he would “love to go to a convention.”
“We made a couple of phone calls and I think they made the right choice of inviting him to come,” Klompus said.
The complete text of Clay’s prepared remarks as provided by the Republican National Convention:
BRYAN CLAY
Aloha and good evening.
I am proud to be a gold medal winner representing the United States of America.
But my proudest accomplishment is being a dad to Jacob and Katherine.
For me, family values are the most important thing.
My priorities are: God first, family second, and track third. I can tell you that without my faith — in God, the support of my family and friends, and my strong work ethic — I would not be standing before you today with a Gold medal hanging around my neck.
Politicians and athletes have a lot in common.
Both are competitors — challenging one another.
And neither wins on his or her own.
Some of the best support I’ve received has come from one of my fiercest competitors, Roman Sebrele.
Roman is from the Czech Republic and is the current decathlon world record holder and 2004 Olympic gold medalist.
We were in Beijing on the second day of competition. I was exhausted. I walked over to Roman, who was not in a position to medal.
We began to chat about the next event, which was the dreaded 1500m run.
Roman said to me in his broken English, “I don’t run.” And I said, “You have to run.
You are the world record holder and a gold medalist – you have to run and finish.
I was with you in Athens and I want you to be with me when I win tonight.”
And he said. “OK, fine I run, but not fast.”
Roman helped pace me through the race.
After I crossed the finish line, it was Roman who walked over and held my arm up to celebrate this victory.
I’m the one competing in those 10 events, but I’m never alone.
My coaches, mentors, and most importantly, God and my family are a big part of my success, on and off the field.
Now, the big difference between the decathlon and politics is that when my race ends, I go back home and start training for the next Olympics.
But when the election ends, that’s when the real work begins.
And whether your platform is — a classroom, a conference room, a track or the White House, we all must stay true to our principles.
Whether you’re a decathlete or a politician, we must stand together and believe in each other, and this great nation.
Mahalo. God Bless you and may God Bless America.
