Olympic Gold Medalist Bryan Clay made an appearance at the Republican National Convention (RNC). The half Japanese-American, half African-American will also be on a Wheaties Box soon. A week after he stopped by his home in Kaneohe, Hawaii, Bryan Clay took the stage of the Republican National Convention (RNC).

Bryan Clay’s speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC):

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.

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.

Bryan Clay at the Republican National Convention (RNC)