By Mallory Mattingly
USA Track and Field athlete Claire Bryant know God’s given her a purpose so much greater than athletics.
“I asked the Lord, I was like, ‘Why am I here? Like, why am I in Gainesville? It’s not just to jump. Like, that’s so lame. I don’t know. It’s so boring,'” the pro long jumper said on Sports Spectrum’s “What’s Up” podcast. “God sees us as so much more than an athlete at the end of the day. Like, we’re His child, and He cares for us.”
She explained that each person who knows and loves Christ has a calling on their life to go out and make disciples, according to Jesus’ Great Commission in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
“There’s a calling on each Christian’s life to pour into other people, to make disciples. Why? Why am I in Gainesville?” Bryant asked. “To affect other people’s faith walks hopefully in a positive manner. I wouldn’t be as successful in track without these girls. And also, guys.”
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“I wouldn’t be as close with Jesus if I wasn’t pouring into other people, because I get so much out of it as well,” she declared.
Two weeks ago, Bryant hit the seven-meter club in the long jump.
“7.03m / 23ft (2.4 wind 🥀) what an electric meet w awesome friends!! I love my life and it’s all just begun:)” she wrote in a post on Instagram.
Bryant then quoted Psalm 16:8: “I keep my eyes always on the Lord. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”
Related: Olympian Sydney McLaughlin Turns to Jesus for Strength: ‘He Is Greater Than The Storm’
Last month, she officially signed a contract with Adidas as a professional long jumper.
“Jumping with Adidas, for the Lord,” Bryant announced on her social media. “Officially signed with @adidasrunning as a professional long jumper!! What a blessing.”
Whether hitting a new PR or landing a major partnership, Bryant’s faith keeps her grounded.
“I do feel like my faith plays a big part in not just staying positive, but staying grounded,” she said last year. “It’s just been helpful, obviously my faith in God, but then also in a faith community with other Christians and being able to, like bounce off of them. I think that’s really been important to finding myself but also staying grounded.”
Bryant absolutely loves the opportunity she gets to perform her sport at the highest level. But she knows her entire life does not revolve around athletics. Bryant is so much more than a long jumper; she is a child of God and finds fulfillment living out His command to make disciples.
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