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These small increments made it easier for beginning-level women to compete, and also made for more interesting competitive strategies for both men and women lifters.<br>Also to the sport's credit, after a brief period in which a record had to be broken by 2.5 kilos (5.5 pounds), it went back to allowing world records to be broken by .5 kilos (1.1 pounds) to enhance the sport's progression. As an analogy, can you imagine how the 100-meter sprint (or for that matter any running event in track and field) would be affected if all world records had to be broken only in increments of five seconds?<br>Another rule was eventually changed concerned weightlifting apparel. In the early days, women had to wear the same lifting suits as men I suppose this is a great look if you want to become a pro wrestler or join the circus. This may not sound like such a big deal, but I doubt if Pete Sampras would appreciate it if he were forced to wear a tennis dress! In protest, several of the European women at one of the first World Championships gave themselves "wedgies" and tied knots in the suits to make them more flattering.<br> <br>Injury-Proofing the Female Athlete<br><br>In recent years many individuals have tried to instill a fear in athletes and coaches that Olympic lifting was dangerous and heaven forbid that a woman compete in the sport! The appropriate way to train, according to some, was very slowly. As for exercise selection, they insisted the emphasis should be on nonspecific bodybuilding movements, and the less emphasis on freeweight lifts the better.<br><br>Responding to such 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 working on.<br><br>Historic Parallels<br><br>For those who follow the spor 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