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‘You almost feel like you’re about to lose your life'

US triple jumper Will Claye recalls his experiences of racism as a 16-year-old while dealing with the police.

He also addresses being a black man in America and proposing to his wife, fellow athlete Queen Claye, just minutes after the Olympic triple jump final in Rio.

Speaking with Sport Today reporter Ade Adedoyin, the 29-year-old said: “If this life were a race we’d take off 10 metres after everyone else and then we have a target on our backs - thank God for making us strong human beings, these (moments) have become normalised and are things I’ve dealt with personally."

Photo: Track & Field athlete Will Claye of United States speaks during the press conference of the AG Memorial Van Damme at Crowne Plaza Hotel as part of the IAAF Diamond League.(Credit: Jorge Luis Alvarez Pupo / Contributor)

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Duration:

8 minutes