Portal:Sport of athletics/Selected biography/55

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O'Brien in 2009

Daniel Dion O'Brien (born July 18, 1966) is an American former decathlete and Olympic gold medalist. He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships (1991, 1993, 1995), and set the world record in 1992. (Full article...)

This section is an excerpt from Dan O'Brien § Olympics.[edit]

As the 1991 world champion, O'Brien entered the Olympic year of 1992 as the favorite to win gold in the decathlon in Barcelona and be proclaimed as the "world's greatest athlete." However, during the U.S. Olympic Trials at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans in late June, O'Brien had a disaster in the eighth event, the pole vault. After passing at the first four (lower) heights, O'Brien entered the competition at 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m), and failed to clear the bar on all three attempts. As a result, he scored no points and dropped from first to eleventh place among the 24 decathletes.[1][2] He did not make the Olympic team for Barcelona, but he continued to train for the competition held in France a few weeks after the Olympics ended.[3]

O'Brien regrouped and set a world record of 8,891 points in early September in Talence, France.[4][5][6][7] His marks were as follows: 100 meters in 10.43 seconds (with a tailwind); Long Jump 26 ft 6¼ in (8.08 m); Shot Put 54 ft 9¼ in (16.69 m); High Jump 6 ft 9½ in (2.07 m); 400 meters 48.51 seconds, for a first day total of 4,720 points; Day two 110 Meter High Hurdles in 13.98 seconds; Discus 159 ft 4 inches (48.56m); Pole Vault 16 ft 4¾ in (5.00 m); Javelin 205 ft 4 in (62.58m); 1,500 meter run in 4 minutes 42.10 seconds = total 8,891 points).

This stood as the world record until 1999,[8] and the American record for nearly twenty years, until Ashton Eaton broke it in 2012 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. O'Brien was in attendance at Hayward Field and congratulated Eaton shortly after he completed the 1500 meters for a new world record of 9,039 points.[9]

At the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, O'Brien won the gold medal with 8,824 points, 118 ahead of runner-up Frank Busemann of Germany.[10][11][12] After a break from competition, he won the Goodwill Games title in 1998, held east of New York City on Long Island, his eleventh consecutive win since 1992.[13] A plantar fascia injury to his left foot in July 2000, shortly before the U.S. Olympic Trials, caused his withdrawal and he did not defend his title.[14][15] Injuries continued and prevented his return to the Olympic trials in 2004.[16]

More selected biographies
  1. ^ Anderson, Curtis (June 28, 1992). "The Dan and Dave show is over". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1E.
  2. ^ "Tragic day at the Trials". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho Washington. June 29, 1992. p. 1C.
  3. ^ Gillespie, Kerry (July 3, 2016). "For Damian Warner, four years of training comes to fruition at Rio Olympics in August - Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
  4. ^ Rodman, Bob (September 6, 1992). "Dan O'Brien earns decathlon world record". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1E.
  5. ^ "Definitely Dan's day: O'Brien sets decathlon mark". Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. September 6, 1992. p. C8.
  6. ^ "Dan O'Brien breaks Daley's world record". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. news services. September 6, 1992. p. D3.
  7. ^ Rodman, Bob (June 14, 1993). "O'Brien takes aim at decathlon mark". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 4B.
  8. ^ "Dvorak tops O'Brien's world decathlon mark". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. July 5, 1999. p. 2C.
  9. ^ "9039 points! Eaton breaks world record before a home crowd in Eugene". IAAF. June 24, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  10. ^ Baum, Bob (August 2, 1996). "O'Brien buries memories of '92". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. p. 1C.
  11. ^ Powell, Shaun (August 2, 1996). "O'Brien endures to win decathlon". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (Newsday). p. 1C.
  12. ^ Ventre, Michael (August 2, 1992). "O'Brien strikes Olympic gold". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. (Los Angeles Daily News). p. 1B.
  13. ^ Rosenthal, Bert (July 21, 1998). "Still the greatest". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. p. 1D.
  14. ^ Baum, Bob (July 19, 2000). "O'Brien bows out of Olympic trials". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. Associated Press. p. 1B.
  15. ^ "Injured foot to keep O'Brien from trials". Toledo Blade. Ohio. Associated Press. July 19, 2000. p. 7C.
  16. ^ "Injured O'Brien 'officially done' with decathlon". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 9, 2004. p. C2.
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