Allon Clay
Japanese middle-distance runner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Allon Tatsunami Clay (born 25 March 2002) is a Japanese middle-distance runner who primarily runs the 800 metres. He is a Japanese indoor national record and Asian indoor record holder.[1]
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| Full name | Allon Tatsunami Clay | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 25 March 2002 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||
Event | Middle-distance running | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Biography
Clay grew up in Japan, but is of American descent. His father Andrew being from Ironton, Ohio, and a member of the American Navy stationed in Japan. In 2019, Clay set a Japanese high school, under-18 and under-20 record for the 800 metres with a time of 1:46.59.[2]
Clay won the 800 metres gold medal at the 2019 Asian Youth Athletics Championships.[3] That year, he won the bronze medal at the 2019 IAAF World Relays in the Mixed 2 x 2 x 400 metres relay in Yokohama, Japan in May 2019, running alongside Ayano Shiomi.[4][5] In June 2019, as a 17-year-old won the Japanese senior 800 metres national title, beating the six-time defending champion and Japanese record holder Sho Kawamoto in a time of 1:46.59. Later that year, he agreed to move to the United States to study at Texas A & M University.[6][7]
In February 2021, as a freshman, Clay ran an indoor personal best 1:48.45 in the 800m at the Tyson Invitational in Fayetteville, Arkansas. His time ranked seventh on the Texas Aggies all-time list.[8]
Having transferred to Penn State University ahead of the 2025 season,[9] Clay won the men's 800 meters at the 2025 Big Ten Conference Championships, running 1:47.93 for the win.[10] He was a semi-finalist at the 2025 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships in June.[11] He placed fourth in the 800 metres final in the 800 metres at the Japanese Championships in July, running 1:46.72.[12]
On 31 January 2026, he set a new Japanese indoor National record with a time of 1:45.17 for the 800 metres at the Penn State National Open in Philadelphia.[13][14][15] The following month, Clay broke the Penn State 1000m school record at the David Hemery Valentine Invitational, and ran 1:15.47 on 27 February 2026 for the 600 metres at the Big Ten Conference Championships in Indianapolis.[16][17] Competing for Penn State he qualified for the 2026 NCAA Indoor Championships, placing third in the final behind Jamaican pair Tyrice Taylor and Rivaldo Marshall.[18][19]
Clay reached the final representing Japan over 800 m at the 2026 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Toruń, Poland, running 1:46.47 in his semi-final.[20][21][22] In doing so, he became Japan's first senior world finalist in the 800 m.[23] In May, Clay set a meet record of 1:45.11 for the 800 metres at the Big Ten Championships, breaking the previous record set by fellow Penn State runner Isaiah Harris in 2018.[24] On 29 May, Clay ran a personal best 1:44.63 to win the 800 m at NCAA East Regionals in Lexington, Kentucky.[25] He placed fourth with a time of 1:44.98 in the final of the 800 metres at the 2026 NCAA Outdoor Championships.[26]