JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================[" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?0cqMD @8{Ӳ{P@& ) N@%0OJ` )EmMn&]})dPϨPF{ Qvn3Q:`H¥u nT!di\,A)TjEޠ9` #ץCܥ]%d8')elz u=iA 00Y@jÉT=j)ݖ:G?JIHcGjb]3ҕYUzRɄ$M@&UW犴2${q$q#=3Hz|5$hFI=6`rp)DTϱ=;sC%8bz*&lQtSP6H#"o$3$5G1+ Rp3־BH9kq2b)-˕l:h,,ƊC3`}qVRuaVhc{oT h`^AS'5ALd;l,9~Z\TvHJL :1PK>OALLxSb)= _j@#p'?JD ʃPIF?Kܫ3=9Băt4"ǯ4k&hmJSR{Ab0#'9=TېH! 14F8f2ZR>qB'wNZ̅Dp(ElzL Jjr9I;H9ޑv,yۜJ+0yȠ7'58cސ$N>USܚzʬkvFG8EHv-DI vQ3OEA-+]hV z.+c'F ȧOfxd= ڶ|bg8A\1v%${խR_/ S (Q@^eG6A$=NUX=9Q_Ͳ(̀@5yrG*zKp'ZÏ,FRsڧA6đ4 T_BAc_.828R3PL0$j< =2G_ #5j4y q5-²C}r# vqX B*)z 5m PaU OAWpI *I*I>b@=œ̳L-l2y5V.h8I=SQ}J#jګzXEU@E( yzSLޥ&jě<3X6Zj&ōoDi-|$g+KC"kdWUjĖL0AyN{a俙nO zz YAo`e wNPw:iN2VgxAUqm7Lt W;i(V`+ԼneJl ל fݶᶞNMSQGM[=&7eҵpE=8GBjT,5{{/#xj|_'HȜ3m..@ @bjωtiO7{1֥K V36Js{u?VgCC۵ ?Z{4R*;RڞĞ6QDd)=O#בB MvLɡtc_EK+5IyyAQ힔T6&SЃR'jOJdRd*ZuycræZ2A:7!j 1֤k}ISCXG~i>ZaRXg"O@+QyG+HT* 癋H,Oz.GJJ3ZV-KI^)VSU|ъ7V*0J1#*=C2AZPWrJs5b4!CzJΫ!bsoMLN5S Hc;ќk ~42*BX2;I*` q\ughc4j}9LгImy)Lr;[܀dLpҹ-{L:u)"BJ{zzLSLc0Fquzڕ1'f3kF/a$T g)q mSQrz #Jf㊤g$=ۂc(w c8㟭ىD^]eWj}jH9'`֬),fJIPLqߚDq;wdǷ5]|(wz)xꬌ9dlQ^pQr-؍> sEX)9⹯J%exZ#.袊s_ѿ'֨V!8`}?ٰaּNaU BwI+ZuCHR# sJxw{|Xx.Hna qqXl ʼnwz+\d@cT;~5  ;1W[ҠMq$oj!&[cJWʠ_Y"jQY:!\zHJ3ĉK!#=)ēڙn\C}H{AFԅr*5NG4c"G|(OE6vcqb 2)E`9 ՝vEfJT(l皼nؕs%mcV%ϷrX`,s@T4o[sM&q=2iޞSxߙ&7&=7VT1ޝiOim:W7*4ݺtע[;J3H[0q׭jVI"Jt\uMs IVAյb~S<OO¶ C42!@OksMv!#g[ j׶.n&y.Fn!Vλ`0_?ʭɈ9 I0 wWJ-eWncSGHIQb<&n=;prz 3 κ9T>˖7q1\N%#m+4$ *bU5}Y* UO֧btU-,]#Ŝ%T+;{\3.I'M^8,paU^!dg92Pǭ4 @OWb.8<Ӹ=WHӼ@\]~<}yM!sgځ\N=i28O 9C׊h.F'cך)(F=Lw$z1qNq3FOt"'z: P( 8#?ά UŞsޒu D)HY[gz ٮjү̑@=vZ)em.V NpcH@nc0q\'2HɮMg^"j;j: s)mD>*pi^^N^Ojl<(kܱ4iJ0{ z2hܮ2AªNM*F]cMƋo=(s Ar#xi66+o+c_=J Z[-r]9pcz1z{P}GlQRæ!XN8ϥwvڅe@脣` .Hh_c$ z1Ҳpw6屽jU201s*np3`Z0DE605 |my4W|MI*H>ݐBhi֓lf@2%pHfw*@?)|dy0@\\٢r 6ސǼ)ci\DB$9if ZAޜ2G+]G9G8& Z^ Ґ}JwcImݰwtEZ1vV'Z(ST=9SMN9@Ac]A$Yl`i^r)$zsB`m9=i $ýjn#~+6$NnY@SN1`p֡#F*} Vk` Ԋ.K=6Q14W#\Iz-ԗKỶDy$FTskGV [vΪ"tHTWӯ.c{#,i( }H\jc.TOSO<'ƚ]he"C'D$J/+Xbyv 0ϧ6C( ;FNs i**2W׽s~/S5o=y=\4ϾW9b[WW^]ɥA-q\`%^[i94q*ϔ77x+LW*,LÃ߸JnAƬiG@\`O;l`V歿ˌp>Q3ҕ6qF %񚔠,I9>2rN>0A(:^3) IuZ!IsRh\@Z1" /`#BqV|}WdzR?*wh.BH$Āׂ`U*+VXbq=1V sZ)IȪ 6lR>x:sV,Dк7Km*`~R!?5f kiSjڈm92p)n+\t+-3MGXm'III!c$گxUn[\]_\eAd8\wW?[- 'T]ٮC%Հ'$gh,p2.e)+7[| k+畸n#+Ju¡ߜ qU]SW< |Pk7khĚ5ȷ6/FqEt^!f9'37.;8 X2͜=km=W88<8>j$JBrHdAIס9f9$9s:P#ž}` n2qRm@D`֦8H (HW)yy$AO>ޭyՆ]mP}sQNٰ) As*v2Xw3~UTp3"u#qPp Ub,&z0$;i=VQ9I͛G8$v4+f| g$s` Ң.ޝ8@'nSW4h?qpTʹ-cE&Z(X*D:kkf cpqɯSGȃ{# S Ԯ#ަ0ȯdh;X1ҳ,CL,A=0 OJ7q9 }i @+ӚEVp:3* r{PR.zPAb2)UGRFnҀ#G=bN3Ebr>weeks, and quite a few calls from friends, family, coaches and other<br>athletes. Then I was back into training and totally focused. <br><br>Dan s effort paid off almost immediately. Although he didn t compete at<br>Barcelona, a few months later Dan entered the decathlon event in Talence, France. There he set a new world record 8,891 points a record that still stands today. For Dan, he had proven to himself that he had what it takes to be the world s greatest athlete. But the public only remembered the no-heighter. To truly redeem himself, and earn the title he so fervently desired, Dan knew he needed the Olympic gold.<br><br>Dan went on to win two more world championships before the 1996 Olympic trials came around. Once again, all eyes were on Dan, and the event they watched most closely was the pole vault.<br><br> I knew it was a big deal, says Dan.  But I wasn t worried in the least. It<br>was no longer an issue for me. I <br>wasn t even worried about the trials.<br> I had one goal; that was the gold. Not the bronze, not the silver. I knew exactly what I wanted and was counting the days to Atlanta. <br><br>He sailed through the trials. In Atlanta, he sailed through the decathlon, holding on to a steady point margin throughout each of the ten events. Dan became the first American to win the decathlon since Bruce Jenner in 1976. His only disappointment was that he did not break his own world record. That is a goal he is still workig on.<br><br>Historic Parallels<br><br>For those who follow the sport of decathlon, the parallels between Dan s life and that of the first gold medal decathlete, Jim Thorpe, cannot be ignored. Both were born of mixed races. Both have Irish surnames. Both came from small schools and towns. They have each enjoyed immense popularity and adulation, and also humiliation. For Thorpe, stripped of his medals after a controversial decision by the governing Olympic board, redemption and restoration of those medals would occur only after his death. Dan O Brien was able to set the record straight and place his own name for all time on the list of the World s Greatest Athletes. But his story is far from finished.<br><br>Dan feels strongly that his story is one that can help inspire and fuel<br>other young athletes.  I don t try to hide from the fact that I ve made<br>mistakes; we re all only human, says Dan.  There were a lot of things in my life that could have pulled me down. I had excuses to fail but I <br>didn t let them take hold of my psyche. I knew I was a winn3?R8Ŧ#5fu=GPIL9(bFoLpKwۃY 2٦>Ja&E3R[vw aS:zCyk!^=JV-E-exs΂b- aw5|KbWݹ{}} _EdZ&?$|q1v̍ McV\jg)1}k7T%FJ̉FtG@^)kЩA,$@EJO-QXPXjYz.BN`'3Wm2ʪ|E. 3Y{wi.TcR 9&Ħ{۵ՎOJ9ua6JHi $xrk+Зը^Y)IZ!ڱw&T$Y]T!H{Pzeވ&:YfJaDI\z"mz rdG k[⹯b 摠>vѲ(l',ػ!1*ip&ry0dr GwlLjF96%_("X h7r?Ն]s&%̥dO\yãbLi^#H9ɑ 3ʛyQYV$" E?\{̷MȻË(D%0d-lOhDZ3E1ȴԖBŅͥz 矩Xt^eʙ x=LJ9bHs Joo/ffCRyL}B>;9!eFEDwNOHV CM-N_TK,0 QB]j֞&dO3O&Dq&%t/'B;t "UvaմKdT |J|R԰`0["@I|}ɀf9T0s$ԶAWݒTK(VlRɼɕAE5|c<`x(L5jgb!Ҵh= s^m7X,j$?I>΋gQhET̡{6Ԓ6G+Dk$xNHUHBLfNna0FV$k7ptNo)MiE3MXAeo4ӵÙd7ED sѡLw!7G7`ſP?dv^Yh{iMXJfXΑd@n=^%?unpnv-ߨt润IuWu:jomwDe~@xlw9o~s˽nR7$!W?g쨣 uZEһE;ѺXhoZdUR'y~a}MU&sD%v3I;AbCݔ,Jô`j c1 Kb20>Ue}Z`r`o+KC"M+6k.`;.%Co՘Z|াAן3g&+FI3UqGrSАx Nܰ8O1fgQDc@ۧUggCEq${kc v8XL7]x# PFoi+, {Ƃ+ :|r0B7^bHHS&}8пƀ[\-c/N/rEZШa[S%EBlT,%Yكh\#!.]|+aXUK@dkPxR+l{,.PUcb' #2k}۪U`qhȬs/qVCL}2Pʕju[ H\c6`یbPOjN*; Py28jV`OӨyfWw$$xUvu/U$2-5^ JncZrX&o s˻ZŪZ%bWՀAy R{|l$[fԌp_`0~NnWj`x™;]LPZŁ ŷ4>3ulZFbn8RǤλ:;!?jk/kզ3 [H;,>W;%zgHd-Cz uK$igю<&F{ O:C'3?[ޟ&'N̰߳ u5A&1i,c;Y4*sR+= Ls a e.+]j謤Z3 y4r+멞Ҷf#H'h1=! X8X)(2EvTZ7g걒ߗ*C=ʬ}zmW&U5O h({=۫f?ԌgfG͜~Nf$J8Dn2WLsZHZUeJn[vmV̥<ժ Z l0Kaa4:7~z)335E)8 6Jk)Yf\gx5)6j!aa'%2"r[v5\l$SslMf:Txuϫ^b2ueV Cx QC