Clayton Murphy: Olympian.

2016 Jul 6

Fueled by his patented finishing kick Clayton Murphy (New Paris, Ohio) captured the 800-meter title at the United States Olympic Track and Field Trials on Monday, July 4, at historic Hayward Field, to become the first University of Akron track and field athlete to represent their country and the Zips at the Olympics.

"It is an honor to be on the Olympic team," said Murphy. "What an experience! What I was able to accomplish today just has not soaked in yet."

Murphy crossed the line in a personal-best time of 1:44.76 to outdistance IAAF World Indoor Champion Boris Berian by nearly two-tenths of a second (1:44.92) to earn the triumph. The victory enabled Murphy to remain unbeaten in 2016.

"Wow! What a great thing for Clayton," commented Akron head track and field coach Dennis Mitchell. "What a great honor for Akron. Clayton ran a very smart, well thought out race. He did everything according to plan. However, you can't just plan your way to victory, you have to have speed and mostly a big heart and his heart is enormous. Big, huge props to coach LaBadie, he is the mastermind. He may be the best middle-distance coach in the country."

"What an athlete," said Akron head cross country and distance coach Lee LaBadie. "I'm so proud of what Clayton has been able to accomplish."

The quarterfinals of the 800 meters at the XXXI Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, will be contested on Friday, Aug. 12, at 9:10 a.m. ET. The semifinals will be held on Saturday, Aug. 13, at 9:05 p.m. ET. The Olympic final in the 800 meters will be run on Monday, Aug. 15, at 9:25 p.m. ET.