APU Olympians 2008
America’s top decathlete. The African record-holder in shot put. A silver medal-winning triathlete. And a four-time Olympic sprinter turned Olympic coach. All are Azusa Pacific alumni. And this August, they will go for the gold at the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.
Bryan Clay ’03
Height: 5’10”
Age: 28
Hometown: Honolulu, Hawaii
Event: Decathlon
- Ranked number 1 decathlete in the United States
- Ranked number 6 decathlete in the world
- 2004 Olympic silver medalist
Bryan graduated from APU in 2003 with a Bachelor of Social Work degree. The following year, he won the silver medal at the Summer Games in Athens, achieving the fourth best score in Olympic Games history. In 2007, he launched the Bryan Clay Foundation, which provides academic and athletic scholarships to underprivileged student athletes. Most recently, Bryan scored a personal best 8,832 points at the 2008 Olympic Trials.
Learn more about Bryan:
Vivian Chukwuemeka ’06
Height: 5’11”
Age: 33
Hometown: Ekpoma, Nigeria
Event: Shot Put and Discus
- Holds the African shot put record (60’5”)
- Silver medalist at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
- Ranked number 1 in the 2008 African Championships
Vivian graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2006. As the most honored female thrower in the history of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, Vivian still holds the NAIA record in discus (186’9”) and indoor (59’2”) and outdoor (59’7 ½”) shot put. When she’s not training and competing, this three-time reigning All-African shot put champion uses her social work degree to help at-risk teenagers. Learn more about Vivian.
Julie Ertel ’99
Height: 5’8”
Age: 36
Hometown: Irvine, California
Event:Triathlon
- Gold medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games
- 2007 USAT Elite National Champion
- Won the five-race USAT Haul to the Great Wall series in 2007
Julie earned her M.Ed. in Physical Education in 1999. The following year, she won a silver medal as a member of the U.S. women’s Olympic water polo team at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. She is the former head coach of the women’s water polo team at the University of California, Irvine. Learn more about Julie.
Innocent Egbunike ’86, ’93
Country: Nigeria
Head Coach: 2008 Olympic Nigerian Track and Field Team
- Bronze medalist at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
- Ranked fifth in the 400 meter at the 1988 Seoul Olympics
- Silver medalist at the 1987 IAAF World Championships
Innocent graduated in 1986 with a B.A. in Communications, and in 1993 with an M.Ed. in Physical Education. Before attending Azusa Pacific, he participated as a teenager in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Between 1980-92, he competed in four consecutive Olympic Games.
A member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame, Innocent holds the Nigerian record in the 400 meter (44.17). He is now head coach of the 2008 Olympic Nigerian track and field team. Learn more about Innocent.
