JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)==================================================" }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?TʴZEcbCcj|0t]V+ OC_[%,H;[kPN~5_hõB7@H#k12;nUf>52%4zO֙jWcp\ qOJfX[ {/=v;ƎosMgiZ˨,wQmmN HE%i0>P#=m$;=F}+@R't8\SKTvkT;ˑ?g@0yfQxq4I?v8V+#A#Ӣ*+(zTlqOcBY"yEﮅщqcЎ:o,2ghg'i%tycJ1=WH ΑrWA<g0Hq^A7\WEg{Aފ;\f8 SЁ}j0iLG%N#qW +Zy?A\'o|Fu>C>:"`O=bj# ?~?WuXE3#/2:>`Ey-J"}MO)%#ݤXZ8jYpM`j?2yq3q~< Z]Y |cԶuoo8$@&PHDħyk躚yt5 dq(qaG*Zz5z;`hԔ쑥9GV_U60%cЂ=-HyP@C~zߋP rrzү,,0mWw$q\ Aц~ކm0Սgx#W$ zoz_YgV?#54%9*F=ZzY+w!8$Wx96Jx3ƴH_)943RZrK?q9 %vGsמ1V~"'ޅ[OxB4$ܪ`7VK)e<|S4֛**fՒ$p?,5`e*S<èbN< \ω|O ?Qw֔}0̘1^_šjdIzxa"5z!kZ!-KmCPbZxV "\즼FQ^ Ć\י|?ݭhg=Q~s봿WkLJxtK|niFO(UGx \!Ai4M0[V`4(++UWXSJ?>+"NWӁ\T]&uR<qTs HOjܶ1,N)0 HztF+L[q'<̓1<Zf}b8! ^EA$ NO="nY&TS ƑǚCG$tƥ娲yלD_mF%h[$}q(dC 6 K!oU5'f&8B\E >bWv17 灁W˶?/iQ興Q+"]gzY%ǩ=y/Vr--c#\XZƫqݔ.\B[)RtUie|Sk0PyS*5V~R8V{mfN{u<_ow\gmĞ($錚/E6,$A;a(F=r\+<;k ֊i]iFI& cF29g}4 4<*pQH:)(Q6bOAIvF?5F k9b.I#cd꺍Ҽe@xMt4yl{lحGԚbY8%ߌ{NZ@9w5bI K* _, .$ԓ}xkcͳW?q[> eA6? ֞䳑qHWxeyQ1WJs#}jChgvs \4#-ji6Dϡl4m$ ԗ'Je#}N=j~B鄭Hb֓ÊK#kMw ,H?쎟KEjQy-XfRxR1g5z SN[UW_B Rǩ br(=@'jm. Xݲ=*) bǒEj9P\dc#81-fU,Wz ۜ8[-МAݏWEsZo{gfWd^*=ƝHhMF$qH@2A=ݦjncV?\32\+)5Y1SPbd}))0i RJoxwh1fff@8`Op ='_A a dSk*Z+4Z^]Gu~>Tَ:R,(I$sEDp?*cƊ*1n*RhjJ S R 1E P9h"sSd(HG)CN*^,}=WO b|)^;~$m@ܢ0jdJ3H)N95+ j`9^~Sth a new seriousness and discipline. In 1988 Dan made a decision that would change his life; he<br>decidedhe wanted to be a decathlete.<br><br> Milt Campbell was one of my mentors, says Dan about the former decathlon gold medalist.  There is so much history in the sport; so much dedication and pride in it. I love the story about Jim Thorpe, how after he won the first decathlon, the king of Sweden shook his hand and said,  Sir, you are the world s greatest athlete. When I heard that story I knew that what I wanted<br>to be wasn t just a great athlete, but the world s greatest athlete. <br><br>In 1991 Dan s goal came within reach when he became the Decathlon World Champion.<br><br>The No-Heighter<br><br>With the 1992 Olympics looming, Reebok saw tremendous marketing potential in two of the U.S. s top contenders for the decathlon: Dave Johnson and Dan O Brien. The  Dan or Dave ad campaign was launched on Super Bowl Sunday, and<br>overnight the pair became celebrities. Who would win in the showdown at Barcelona Dan or Dave? was the question the advertising campaign centered upon.<br><br>The only problem was Dan never made it on the Olympic team for Barcelona.<br><br> I will never know exactly what went wrong that day, says Dan in quiet<br>resignation, shaking his head and obviously waiting for the interview to move ahead.  I just don t know. <br>What happened was Dan missed all three pole vault attempts at the Olympic trials. His  no-heighter cost him his place on the U.S. team. Thanks to the publicity machine at Reebok, Dan s no-heighter was the most publicized athletic failure of the year, or perhaps decade.<br><br>For Dan, the public humiliation was tremendous. Sportswriters said he lacked the heart and guts of a true competitor, and that he was a much ballyhooed athlete with no discipline. Reebok dropped him like a hot potato. In a few minutes, Dan went from feeling on top of the world to the depths of depression. But while the media questioned Dan s true talent and potential, Dan knew that the no-heighter was a fluke. He had never done it before, and now he was determined that he would never do it again.<br><br> I can t explain what happened that day, but I realized I would have to be<br>totally prepared for any eventuality in the future, says Dan.  It took a few<br>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 we