EUGENE, Ore. -- Life could have turned out a lot differently for two-time Olympic medalist Will Claye. The long and triple jumper was born in Arizona in 1991 shortly after his parents migrated from Sierra Leone in West Africa to the United States, where his mother pursued her doctorate. Had his parents not left the country, Claye says, he easily could have been born in Sierra Leone near the start of its 12-year civil war, a war in which boys his age were forced to be child soldiers.I was able to escape that. It always makes me grateful to my parents that they were able to do that, Claye said, adding that it gave him a different respect for his parents. It showed me how strong my roots are. ... It definitely makes me grateful to be competing for the United States. I dont take anything for granted.You cant take anything for granted when qualifying for the Olympics. Claye won bronze in the long jump and silver in the triple jump at the 2012 Olympics -- the only Olympian to medal in both events in the past 80 years -- but he wont get the chance to repeat that in Rio. Despite finishing in the top three of the long jump at the U.S. Olympic track and field trials Sunday, Claye did not make the U.S. team in that event because he had not reached the qualifying mark of 8.15 meters in the past year.He had missed the qualifying mark by just one centimeter. Which is, he said, about a toenail.It kills me to be eight centimeters off the world record, so a centimeter? I would ask for a re-measurement, said Christian Taylor, the 2012 Olympic triple jump gold medalist and former roommate of Clayes. I think we would call it a rookie mistake. Youve got to take care of that [qualifying standard] business before you get to the trials. You dont want to leave it to the end.Hes not a rookie. This guy is a two-time Olympic medalist. Hes been to the highest stage, and I think its definitely a learning experience for him.Claye left the track that day unsure whether he would be on the U.S. team.I was confused just like you all were, he said. My coach was confused, everyone was confused -- until we talked to the people at USA Track and Field and they said that there was no chasing the qualifying mark before the Olympics and that I was not going to be on the team.At least not in the long jump. Claye still can qualify in the triple jump, which is his favorite of the two events.While he was frustrated by not making the long jump team, Claye said he met with his first track coach that night and sorted it out. After praying over the matter, Claye focused on the triple jump.Claye has been bothered by back and toe injuries in the past year -- a big reason he didnt make the long jump qualifying standard -- and did not have a great performance in Thursdays preliminary round, finishing ninth with a mark of 16.37. That was roughly two feet shy of Taylors first-place jump. Still, it was enough to advance to Saturdays final.Just as important, Claye also has reached the triple jump qualifying standard, and easily bettered it by more than two feet at 17.56, third longest in the world this year.Claye said that as difficult as the long jump can be, the triple jump is harder. You have to jump three times, and in the first two jumps, you are landing on the harder track rather than the soft sand of the pit, which cannot be easy on the feet, ankles or knees.If you dont do it right, you will get hurt all the time, said Claye.?Even if Claye had qualified in the long jump and is able to qualify in the triple, he said he is unsure whether he would have attempted to medal in both. There is only one day off between the events in Rio compared to a three-day gap in London.It would have been something I would really have had to think about, he said. You have long jump prelims one day, the finals the next, a day off, then triple jump prelims and the finals. Thats hard on the body. Its something my coach and I would have to sit down and see if I was fit to do that. Im getting older now.Claye is 25, proud to have represented the United States in London and hoping to do so again in Rio. But he said he still has many more years of competition ahead and would consider jumping for Sierra Leone, which has never won a medal at the Olympics.I feel like it would be great for that country to have the type of caliber athlete that I am, he said. Mohamed Sanu Sr Jersey . On Saturday night, the normally free throw-challenged centre did just that. Howard scored 18 of his 25 points in the fourth quarter, including 13 of 19 free throws in a 2 1/2-minute stretch, and the Houston Rockets beat the Denver Nuggets 122-111. Justin Hardy Jersey .ca! Hi Kerry, Its another day and here we are looking at another dubious hit to the head. 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OAKLAND, Calif. -- Kevin Durant took a moments break from his own shooting work and glimpsed over at the adjoining court as Stephen Curry ran around the 3-point arc launching long jumpers as part of his regular post-practice routine.Two of the brightest young faces of the NBA teamed up for the first time together Tuesday night, when the Golden State Warriors began another championship quest with huge expectations and Durant the new star in the middle of it all.KD knew it was going to be a little strange -- and he wasnt talking about his new No. 35 uniform or debut with the Warriors this time. When he looked to the opposite bench Tuesday night, Tim Duncan wouldnt be there . Not for tipoff at midcourt, either.He was like a security blanket for everybody. Even if things went awry, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. He was like the center of the universe and everybody knew how to act around that. With that pivotal guy gone, well have to wait and see who accepts that role.When the Lakers come to town, no Kobe. Kevin Garnett is long gone, too.Three of the leagues best over recent decades retired after last season, and now Durant, LeBron James, two-time reigning MVP Curry, Russell Westbrook, two-time defending Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard and others must continue to carry the NBA going forward.Leonard and San Antonio opened the season without Duncan against the defending Western Conference champions at sold-out Oracle Arena.Its going to be weird not seeing him, KG, Kobe out there on the court -- pioneers of my era of basketball, I guess, Durant said after Tuesdays shootaround. His basketball spirit always looms over top of the Spurs. His DNA is always engrained in that culture. You can appreciate what hes done, but its definitely going to be weird not seeing 21 on the court for them.Durant, who will face his former Oklahoma City team next week, couldnt wait to finally get going in games that matter. He and the Thunder beat the Spurs in the WWestern Conference semifinals before squandering a 3-1 lead to the Warriors in the West finals.ddddddddddddThis summer, Durant shined while playing at Oracle with the U.S. team ahead of the Rio Olympics. He did so again for his preseason home debut against the Clippers on Oct. 4.I dont really think of it as an opening moment, Durant said. Its just another game to me. Its easy for me to approach it that way if its just another chance to step between the lines and do what I love. Not put too much pressure on myself to go out there and be great. I put the work in, I prepared the right way. Ill let that stuff take over. Ive got to get out of my own mind and just play, and thats what Ive been doing.Golden State dealt with its own disappointment in giving up a 3-1 advantage in the finals and losing Game 7 at home against the Cavaliers .Not that Curry is afraid to talk about that disappointment.In fact, on Tuesday morning he discussed his new Under Armour advertisement that faces head-on the missed championship -- thats fresh, Curry notes in the video.It goes on with: 73-9. ... Missed championship. ... Make That Old.The first unanimous MVP selection last season, Curry said he had a say in the theme focused on pushing on from defeat because theres no perfect journey in any situation, so you try to sweep stuff under the rug or try to paint a picture thats not 100 percent accurate, I think its doing whoevers following our journey a disservice.Theres a powerful story in it, a relevancy to it, whats going on right now, Curry said. 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