Will
Claye
United States
·
Athletics
Date of birth | 13 June 1990 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Tucson, Arizona |
Age | 35 |
Nationality | United States |
Career start | 2012 |
Disciplines | Long Jump / Triple Jump |
Born in Tucson, Arizona, Will Claye discovered track and field in middle school and went on to be a two-time Arizona high school state champion. He set a state record in triple jump as the first high schooler in the state to break the 15m mark.
As a college student, first at the University of Oklahoma, then at the University of Florida, he became a two-time NCAA national champion and eight-time NCAA All-American. He took gold in triple jump and silver in long jump at the 2009 USA Junior Outdoor Track and Field Championships.
As a freshman at the University of Oklahoma, competing at the NCAA Men’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship, he set an American junior triple jump record of 17.19m that has now stood for more than a decade. He transferred to the University of Florida as a junior, winning the NCAA Men's Indoor Track and Field Championship in triple jump in 2011. He also won both triple jump and long jump at the 2011 Southeastern Conference (SEC) Championships, competing for the University of Florida Gators under famed coach Dick Booth.
He's since secured two silver medals in the long jump and one bronze in the triple jump at the Olympics as well as two World Championship silver medals and two World Championship bronze medals in the triple jump. Will's also claimed two World Indoor Championship wins in the triple jump and five USA National Championship titles, among other awards. As of June 2019, he holds the third-best triple jump distance in history, at 18.14m.
Will's also a talented R 'n' B musician and rapper: his debut album, Look What You Created, was released in 2017, followed by the 2019 EP West Side Story and two 2020 EPs, Kill Will and Slide for the Love. He founded the fashion label Elevate, with the motto 'qui n'avance pas recule' (if you don't move forward, you move backward).