RIO DE JANEIRO — American jumper Will Claye woke up in the Olympic Village on Tuesday morning and loaded his backpack for the biggest day of his life. It had the usual: shoes, socks, Olympic credentials, a diamond ring.
But Claye had a plan. He rolled out of bed and told himself, “Today’s going to be the best day of my life.”
“I’m going to go out there and do what I have to do on the track first,” he explained later, “and then I’m going to make her my fiancee after that.”
And he did just that, winning a silver medal in the triple jump for the second Olympics in a row and then climbing into the stands to propose to his longtime girlfriend, hurdler Queen Harrison, a veteran of the 2008 Olympics whose own bid for these Rio Games fell just short.
“It was just something I felt like I had to do today,” said the newly betrothed jumper.
So Tuesday at Olympic Stadium, Claye got the silver, Harrison got the ring and all Taylor did was defend his Olympic title and win gold for the United States, nearly breaking a world record in the process.
“He’s a good man,” Taylor said of his friend and teammate. “I’m glad he could make the most of this moment. This is the Olympic Games, and you know that’s what it’s about: cherishing every moment.”
In 2012, Claye also finished second to Taylor at the London Games, where he also won a bronze in the long jump. That’s about the time he and Harrison started dating. Nearly four years later, they competed together at the U.S. Olympic trials where Claye qualified in the triple jump. Harrison, a former Virginia Tech standout, finished in fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles, missing a spot on the Olympic team by just 0.02 of a second.
She spent a couple of weeks debating whether to make the trip to Rio de Janeiro, concerned about the mixed emotions that would surely swirl watching from the stands. But she knew she had to support Claye. She knew something special was bound to happen.
Claye, meanwhile, bought an engagement ring. But he hadn’t settled on when he’d propose until Tuesday morning.
And so he packed the ring, went to the stadium and left the backpack on the track as Claye, Taylor and 10 others took their turns in the triple jump.
“I had my eye on my backpack, making sure nobody dug in there,” Claye said.
But he mostly tried not to think about it during the competition. Taylor turned in his biggest jump on his first attempt, putting up a mark of 58 feet 7¼ inches — less than 17 inches off the world mark. Claye also turned in his best mark on his first attempt — 58-3¼ — and the field never got close to either American the rest of the way.
Claye said he focused on his jumping as much as possible.
“When you got to jump against Christian Taylor, you can’t worry about nothing else. . . . I knew she was there,” he said. “I knew that wasn’t going anywhere. I was hoping nobody proposed to her first.”
When it was over and the United States secured the top two spots on the medal podium, Claye retrieved his bag and started walking toward his family and friends in the Olympic Stadium stands. There’s a gap that separates fans from athletes, but Claye didn’t let that stop him, making one final leap on the day.
“I know we’re jumpers,” Taylor said, “but that’s risky.”
Phase 2 of his plan was different than the first. On the track, he felt he was in control. In the stands, though . . .
“[Getting on] the knee was stressful, man,” he said with a chuckle, “because I didn’t know whether she was going to say yes or not.”
Only Claye’s father and two friends knew of his plan, so most of his family and friends were surprised when Claye got down on one knee. He started talking, and she started crying.
“I told her she was my best friend. I told her she was my rib. I told her that I want to grow old with her, I want her to be by my side the rest of my life,” he recalled later. “I just looked her in the eyes and — she’s so special to me. She pushes me in so many ways.”
Taylor is 26, Claye is 25, and Harrison is 27. They all have plans to compete through the 2020 Games and beyond. But with a gold, silver and diamond finish, these Rio Olympics might be difficult to top.
“It was just a heartfelt moment to have so many eyes on us,” Claye said, “and for it to be such a special moment for the both of us.”
