Inspired Clay sprints to state gold

 DES MOINES -- As Gage Clay prepared to win a Class 2-A state championship on Saturday afternoon, AHSTW’s junior sprinter couldn’t help but think about one of his favorite people.
 Clay’s grandmother, Linda Best, was one of his biggest fans before she passed away in July of 2015. Clay describes Best as “probably the best grandma ever” and “one of my best friends.”
 Barely an hour earlier, Clay had placed second to Madrid’s Michael Santi in the 100-meter dash during the third and final day of the 2017 State Track and Field Championships inside Drake Stadium.
 Now it was time for the 200 dash, Clay’s best event in which he clocked the fastest 2-A preliminary time - a personal-best 21.69 seconds - on Thursday.
 “Sitting in my blocks, I was thinking about her. As I was warming up, I was thinking about her,” Clay said. “All I could (get) through my head was, ‘I’m going to win this for you, Grandma.’”
 And so he did.
 With Santi just to his left and Albia’s Jacob Clouse on his right, Clay soared down the straightaway and held off both of his top opponents at the finish line to win the 200 title in 21.98. Santi, who won both the 100 and the 110-meter hurdles earlier in the afternoon, placed second in 22.02.
 “It feels amazing,” said Clay, who moved up one spot in both of his sprint finals after placing second in the 200 and third in the 100 last season.

 The AHSTW boys placed in three out of five events overall at this year’s state meet, scoring 20 points to tie for 11th place in Class 2-A.