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Dan O'Brien [1966-0] American

Rank: 103
Athlete, Olympic athlete

Daniel Dion "Dan" O'Brien is an American former decathlete and Olympic gold medalist. He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships, and set the world record in 1992.

Communication, Failure, Work

Quote	Tags	Rank
If you never give up, you'll be successful.		101
The decathlon includes ten separate events and they all matter. You can't work on just one of them.	Work	102
You have to be able to be a good loser. You have to be okay knowing you're going to fail every day in something without getting mad and upset.		103
When I was little, I wasn't allowed to put sugar on my breakfast cereal because it made me so hyper.		104
I think what my parents did was perfect. They were strict, concerned about my safety and held me back just a little.		105
Try everything, because you're never sure what you're going to be great at.		106
It took me time to realize that the men who won Olympic gold medals in the decathlon are just men, just like me.		107
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. It wasn't until 1980 - I think I was 12 years old - that I thought, 'Wow that's what I want to do. I want to be on the Olympic team.'		108
When my world record got broken in 1999, it hurt a little bit, to say the least. But I was in a leg brace at the time and I had just had knee surgery and I couldn't do anything about it.		109
Through everything I've gone through- and I've been everywhere, at the top of the world, in jail, hung over drunk - I never gave up my dream of winning a gold medal in the Olympics.		110
As a young athlete, it was first about having fun; then it was about winning.		111
There is nothing better than having a personal-best day, being in shape and pushing myself beyond my own limits.		112
It's important for me to think I'm mixed-race.		113
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.		114
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.		115
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.		116
And there is such a thing as a decathlon high. It's like a rock rolling down hill, picking up momentum. You get better and better.		117
I call myself a chameleon.		118
To me, the decathlon is its own little society and I am part of that culture.		119
It really means a lot that I won the gold medal - but I woke up the next morning expecting to feel different. I felt the same.		120
I got interested in decathlon because a coach that I had was a big fan of Bruce Jenner, and he just saw the ability in me - but when it came down to it, I knew my best chance at a college scholarship would be in track and field.		121
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.	Communication	122
I've always had to have some kind of failure before I was successful.	Failure	123
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.		124
As a young child, I was never a crier. I never cried to get my way, or even when I was in pain.		125
Take pride in exactly what it is you do and remember it's okay to fail as long as you don't give up.		126
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.		201
As athletes, we're defined by what we've accomplished. Those are what most people remember and what you get paid for. But I learned more from my failures than from all of my successes put together - failures as an athlete and as a person.		202
I just love playing so much, competing so much. You're able to put your losses behind you. One of the greatest attributes a decathlete can have is the ability to forget... to look ahead, not behind.		203
Nowadays, to be a good world-ranked decathlete, you need to be good at everything.		204
After the failure in '92, my goal was to be a good pole vaulter. I used that as motivation.		205
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. It was a lot of years of work, and when I won it, it was more a sense of relief than jubilation or exaltation.		206

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