Bryan Clay (USA) emerged from the first of the decathlon’s ten events with a significant lead, thanks to a 10.43 in the 100 metres.  Running in the last of four heats, the Olympic silver medallist was nudged along by a 3.2 mps wind (still under the allowable limit for combined events) and was close to his career best of 10.36 to start his two-day quest for the title. 

Clay’s 992 points gave him a 38-point advantage over Kristjan Rahnu (EST), who won the second heat in 10.59.  The young Estonian, who has seemingly inherited the mantle of former Olympic champion Erki Nool, also had a strong start earlier this year at the European Indoor Championships before an injury forced him out on the first day. 

Hamdi Dhouibi (TUN) and Jaakko Ojaniemi (FIN) benefited from being assigned to Clay’s heat as they were pulled by the American (and pushed by the wind) to equal 10.67 times to give them each a share of third place with 935 points.

The other two heat winners were Paul Terek (USA), in eighth place after his PB 10.83, and Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS), holding ninth with a 10.86 time.

Athens champion Roman Sebrle (CZE), who still has yet to win at the World Championships, rested in 11th after running 10.91, significantly off his 10.64 lifetime best. 

Sebrle’s countryman, three-time world champion Tomás Dvorák, was similarly off his top level with a 10.94 as he currently holds 13th. 

The field lost a significant competitor when Dmitriy Karpov (KAZ), the bronze winner in both Paris and Athens, was disqualified from the 100 metres after two false starts.   In addition, the reigning Asian champion, Vitaliy Smirnov (UZB), appeared to suffer a hamstring strain midway through the sprint event as he limped home in 18.28.  Both athletes have decided not to continue.

After an unsatisfactory opening 100 metres, Roman Sebrle (CZE) sprang to life magnificently with a 7.86 long jump.   Sebrle exited the sand with anxious anticipation, knowing that he had improved his position significantly.  He focused on the judges during the measuring and then shot a clenched fist into the air as the result was announced. 

It was his best effort in that discipline in a decathlon for more than a year.  The 1025 points attached to the jump catapulted him from his first-event 11th place to the second position after two events, with a 1906 total 31 points less than the 1937 total of Bryan Clay (USA), after the American’s final jump of 7.54 metres enabled him to hold onto his lead.  

Jaakko Ojaniemi (FIN) took sole possession of third place after a 7.57 leap which produced an aggregate 1887 and gave the Finn a 33-point edge over Kristjan Rahnu (EST), whose 7.36 best left him in fourth with 1854.  Hamdi Dhouibi (TUN) dropped to fifth with 1853 after a 7.43 leap. 

Tomás Dvorák (CZE), despite a mediocre 7.31 jump, moved from 13th to seventh with 1762 points, but he is 62 points behind the sixth-place total of Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) after the latter’s 7.49.

Roman Sebrle (CZE) continued his attack with the day’s top effort in the shot put, a leadoff 16.29 which was his best of the year and only nine centimetres off the leading mark of his career.   

His big performance may have backfired to some degree since it had the offsetting effect of inspriring Bryan Clay (USA) to reach an even greater relative level.  Clay’s final throw of 16.25, almost a metre over his pre-Helsinki PB of 15.28, kept the American in the lead by 29 points, 2804 to 2775.  In fact, each of Clay’s three efforts today was superior to his previous decathlon best. 

Kristjan Rahnu (EST) moved up one spot, from fourth to third, with a cumulative 2692 after a season-best 15.79, while Jaakko Ojaniemi (FIN) slipped to fourth at 2674 as a result of a 14.95 throw. 

Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) used an outstanding 15.90 to stay close to medal territory as his 2669, moving him from sixth to fifth, is only five behind Ojaniami and 23 away from the bronze position currently held by Rahnu. 

Three-time champion Tomás Dvorák (CZE) also managed to advance from seventh to sixth with a 15.95 put to give him a cumulative 2610 with the high jump following next.

The third event was not kind to Maurice Smith (JAM), as this year’s US collegiate indoor champion fouled on all three trips to the ring.  It was not immediately known whether Smith, who is generally a strong second-day performer, would continue to compete.

A new day dawned for the decathletes, but it was a day with an invisible sun and a cold biting wind.

First-day leader Bryan Clay (USA) recited a pre-race mantra and then fought his way to a 14.43 against a 2.6 mps headwind.  Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS), running in an outside lane against the stadium tribune, raised his right fist in triumph over the elements as he closed the gap at the end for a 14.45 time. 

Roman Sebrle (CZE), only 14 points behind Clay at the start of the second day, was fourth in the same heat with 14.71, just behind the 14.65 of Romain Barras (FRA). 

The gap between the two main protagonists widened as a result of the hurdles, as Clay now enjoys a 49-point margin with his six-event score of 5447, as against Sebrle’s 5398.

Pogorelov also improved his position significantly, still in fourth but only eight points away from Kristjan Rahnu (EST), who survived a near tumble at the end of his heat to win in 14.87 as a 1.6 wind pushed him back and perhaps helped him to stay upright at the end. 

Rahnu at 5269 and Pogorelov with 5261 appear to be pulling ahead of the rest of the field, led by the 5161 of Attila Zsivóczky (HUN) after his 15.15 hurdle time. 

Tomás Dvorák (CZE), running in the heat with Clay and Sebrle, clocked a 14.81 but he remains in seventh with an aggregate 5085, behind the 5119 of Hamdi Dhouibi (TUN).

Although the severe rains of Tuesday evening seem to have temporarily gone elsewhere, the low-pressure system riveted to the Helsinki area, with the associated cold winds, makes any talk of records senseless.   Winning would appear to be as much a matter of survival as of physical supremacy.

Bryan Clay (USA) moved further into the lead in the decathlon after the discus, the seventh of the ten events.

Throwing at the top of the order in the first group, the American unleashed a 51.79 and then improved to 53.68 in the second round for the day’s two best efforts. 

Instead of having the wind as an adversary, as in the hurdle event,  the competitors now had the advantage of a strong, favourable wind for their throws. 

Roman Sebrle (CZE), trailing Clay by 49 points after six events, also competed in the first group.  He opened with a modest 46.85 but on seeing what it would take to keep pace with the American, he fouled on his next to attempts to lose further ground in his bid for the gold medal which has thus far eluded him.   For the first time in the competition, a look of frustration and concern seemed evident on the Czech’s face as he fell 191 points behind Clay, 6394 to 6203. 

A jubilant Attila Zsivóczky (HUN) celebrated a PB 49.58 throw which was the best of the rest.  However, it wasn’t enough for the Hungarian to climb higher in the standings, and he remains in fifth with 6023. 

Kristjan Rahnu (EST) held on to third with a 47.13 fling and a 6080 point accumulation, as Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) saw his 46.68 toss hold fourth at 6062. 

Aleksey Drozdov (RUS) was the only competitor other than Clay to surpass fifty metres with 50.13.  As a result, the Russian moved from 12th to eighth with a seven-event total of 5798, just two points ahead of the 5796 of Andre Niklaus (GER), whose 46.13 throw was a PB by almost 2½ metres. 

Moving up one place, from seventh to sixth was Tomás Dvorák (CZE) with an aggregate 5866 after a 45.69, as Hamdi Dhouibi (TUN), not a strong throws competitor, saw his 41.17 best produce a 5807 total for seventh.

The weather conditions were sufficiently bad—and expected to worsen later in the day—that the competition management decided to delay the women’s pole vault final until Friday evening. 

Unfortunately, the decathlon pole vault had to go on as scheduled because of the requirement that the event be completed in two consecutive days.  Such challenges are part and parcel of a decathlete’s life.

Undoubtedly longing for the warmth of his younger days in Hawaii, Bryan Clay (USA) fought the strong crosswinds and wrestled his way to 4.90—the same height he cleared on a much balmier day last August in Athens—to increase his lead over Roman Sebrle (CZE).

The Czech managed 4.80, but then passed 4.90 in order to use his remaining energy at 5.00, a height which he thought might cut into Clay’s advantage.   That five-metre jump didn’t materialize, and the two top athletes became even more separated as only two disciplines remain. 

After eight events, the American is now 222 points ahead of the man who defeated him last year at the Olympics.  Most surprising is the fact that Clay’s eight-event total of 7274 is nine points more than he had at this stage in Athens under much more inviting conditions.   

Sebrle still holds second with 7052, but Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS) profited from a 5.00 leap to move into third within 80 points of the Czech at 6972.  

The top vaulter of the day was Andre Niklaus (GER).  The 23-year-old, twice a European under-23 decathlon champion, equaled his outdoor PB 5.30 and moved up three spots into sixth place with 6800. 

Kristjan Rahnu (EST) dropped to fourth at 6899 as a result of his 4.70 vault, as Attila Zsivóczky (HUN) held fast to fifth with a 4.80 jump and 6872 total points.

Bryan Clay (USA) rambled down the javelin runway on his first attempt and threw a PB 70.42 to all but claim the gold medal.  But that wasn’t enough for the American, who added yet another 1½ metres with an easy-to-remember 72.00 on his second throw. 

That, combined the mediocre throw of 63.21 by Roman Sebrle (CZE), put Clay 356 points ahead of the Czech with 8194 points.  Sebrle’s nine-event total stands at 7838. 

Clay aside, the top competitors threw the javelin in a rather narrow range, between 59 and 63 metres, and as a result, the top six placers did not change positions. 

Sebrle accumulated some insurance points for the silver medal against Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS), whose 59.79 throw put him 131 points behind the Czech at 7707. 

At the same time, Kristjan Rahnu (EST) moved to within 45 points of a bronze medal with a 61.65 fling and an aggregate 7662.  

A more likely candidate to overtake Pogorelov is Attila Zsivócky (HUN), whose 1500-metre capability is among the best of the front runners.  The Hungarian threw 63.02 and stands in his customary fifth-place spot with 7655, only 52 points away from medal territory.  With each second in the 1500 metres worth roughly seven points, Zsivócky would need to defeat Pogorelov by less than eight seconds to claim an award. 

With a PB 61.74, Andre Niklaus (GER) held his sixth-place spot with 7564, ahead of Mikk Pahapill (EST) who moved from ninth to seventh after his 63.53 javelin produced a 7374 total.

The Almighty must be a decathlon fan, judging from the way the heavy rains suddenly ceased moments before the event-ending 1500 metres.

Be it on a wet or a dry track, Bryan Clay (USA) was not going to be denied the gold medal tonight in the ten-eventer.  Even in finishing last by jogging 5:03.77 in the concluding 1500 metres, the American scored a total of 8732 for a victory margin of 211 over the 8521 total amassed by the man who had defeated him for the Olympic title a year ago, Roman Sebrle (CZE). 

Clay’s total was also the world’s best in the decathlon this season. 

It was the widest victory in a World Championship decathlon since Dan O’Brien’s first of three consecutive wins 14 years ago in the Tokyo championships, and it followed the victory two years ago in Paris by another American, Tom Pappas.  

For Clay, at age 25 a relative newcomer to the event with only three previous seasons of international competition, tonight’s performance was second only to the total from Athens in his lifetime dossier.  But the inclement conditions under which he was forced to perform here spoke loudly about his tenacity and sheer grit.  

Personal bests in the shot put and the 400 metres on that hurricane-like first day led to a halfway total only 27 points under his compilation midway through his Olympic performance. 

The knockout blow came earlier today in the javelin, in which the American bettered his previous career best by more than two metres.  After all of that, perhaps Clay could be forgiven for strolling his metric mile.

“It’s always great to beat the king,” exclaimed Clay at the end, paying homage to the current Olympic champion and world-record holder Sebrle.  “Many events could have gone wrong today, but everything went my way.  I have been second twice, with Roman finding a way to win [at Olympics and 2004 World Indoors].  Now I have learned from him how to do it myself!” 

For Sebrle, tonight’s total was not even inside the top ten of his career.  But the Czech gave it his all, running 4:39.54 at the end.   Now 30, the opportunities for him to add a World Championships gold are seemingly waning as a younger group of athletes are making their presence known. 

The Czech didn’t fret over his failure to win tonight.  “I feel that after two days, I have won the silver rather than having lost the gold.  Bryan was just too strong.” 

With the top two places virtually decided before the final event, the anticipation lay in the assignment of the bronze medal, which ultimately ended in the hands of Attila Zsivóczky (HUN).  The training partner of Sebrle and a fine practitioner of the 1500, the 28-year-old Zsivóczky stayed near the front during the entire run and ended with 4:32.17, the fifth-best time of the field.  The men he needed to beat by at least eight seconds—Kristjan Rahnu (EST) and Aleksandr Pogorelov (RUS)—finished only slightly ahead of Clay.

“When I crossed the line I was looking for Pogorelov, but I could not see him,” Zsivóczky remarked.  “It took me a few seconds to realize where he was, and only then could I relax.  The only reason I was worried [going into the 1500] was that I could feel that I had the [bronze] medal within reach, but that I should be careful not to lose it.” 

The Hungarian’s medal, won with a total of 8385 points, is not the first international award in the family.  His father, Gyula Zsivóczky, was the hammer champion at the Mexico City Olympics in 1968.

Sebrle and Zsivóczky were hosted by Clay in California last April for a three-week training camp.   Perhaps the Europeans were unknowingly being scouted by the American during that time.   Regardless, the handshakes and embraces by all of the competitors at the end demonstrated what a close-knit fraternity these men form. 

With 22-year-old Frédéric Xhonneux (BEL) winning the 1500 in 4:22.71, the next man to cross the line was Andre Niklaus (GER).  The 23-year-old German’s 4:28.93 was enough to pull him up from sixth to fourth at the end with a final total of 8316, a PB by 123 points. 

Slipping two places because of their performances in the 1500 were Pogorelov and Rahnu, who ended fifth and sixth with respective scores of 8246 and 8223. 

Tomás Dvorák  (CZE), a past three-time winner, finished eighth with 8068, just behind the 8087 total of Romain Barras (FRA) in seventh.