Dan O'Brien
Dan O'Brien
American decathlete who won an Olympic Gold medal in 1996, as well as titles at the World Championships in Athletics.
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionDecathlete
Date of Birth18 July 1966
CityPortland, OR
CountryUnited States of America
communication athlete successful
When first starting to work with someone you try to get them in the same mindset that you were in when you were successful, and I realized the best thing you can ever do is realize that they are not you. They have a different persona and mindset, and you have to figure out what works best within your communication with that athlete.
air trying balls
I was a good decathlete until I got with a coach that really knew how to train specifically for the event... I'd really describe it as like being a juggler; you have ten balls and you're trying to get them all in the air at the same time.
winning gold special
Breaking the world record in '92 was a very special personal moment, but I'd say my favorite moment as a decathlete was winning the Olympic gold medal.
trying
Try everything, because you're never sure what you're going to be great at.
baseball winning thinking
I was playing little league baseball when Bruce Jenner was winning the gold but I don't think I was really paying attention at that time.
distance athlete men
You need to become more than one type of athlete. You have to be a sprinter, a weight man and a distance guy all in one.
littles culture decathlon
To me, the decathlon is its own little society and I am part of that culture.
limits pushing shapes
There is nothing better than having a personal-best day, being in shape and pushing myself beyond my own limits.
matter events just-one
The decathlon includes ten separate events and they all matter. You can't work on just one of them.
giving-up dont-give-up pride
Take pride in exactly what it is you do and remember it's okay to fail as long as you don't give up.
thinking race important
It's important for me to think I'm mixed-race.
people major-league gauges
We'll probably only consider a handful of individuals. We'll bring up people who can accumulate either innings or at-bats, so we can hopefully gauge where they stand as a prospective Major Leaguer.
failure good pole
After the failure in '92, my goal was to be a good pole vaulter. I used that as motivation.
baseball behind coaches colleges direction experience good immediate interest meal pushed saw sports support ton track
I didn't get a ton of interest from colleges in baseball and football, but I was outstanding in track and had the sense that this would be my meal ticket... Track was a sport where I saw immediate improvement, and I had a lot of good support behind me... and the coaches had a lot of experience and pushed me in that direction for sure.