JFIFC    $ &%# #"(-90(*6+"#2D26;=@@@&0FKE>J9?@=C  =)#)================================================== " }!1AQa"q2#BR$3br %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz w!1AQaq"2B #3Rbr $4%&'()*56789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz ?ny vdQQh̊F!_t}>kusm's' fm> D l`zSU*uZpB<鞵jnRx5qWXl᭜ze.G徕Waw_GT3gݏT4Pӣ"&ִ>]Eʷ1i凐V~ğZgPh.dp23\$lU]xa-+.NpxF"-YҜ[.)>K@3Us&Ӹ!d;jywo $-CI"(bRgZO:#_u{K5^8P+4|hY Jw~򮕹Gҏ˥1w {\{%uVu}NJnG3,~aTb5z6{IqtV2;.鵤,BIX}F [CIjc@ U]>jģ(\TeK6Z6QdUi7 0" 28J.mv[HmyXʤNuȥ$o&є'e$;ןAmg2yĸS(/`d1F=x⹵f b-yMRRrqɢuGaX\ӔܙJ(3\DiR p3mLW9>xrp &w~MkJ3Жwlo ̾h&r}ju?$a"NR6 a)m";+|cm){Kh 9TE!(<`Ei4M)rQ]ſ\6ѫ$TLZjm|cc{i"Wg+[lh+y=GJǻ׽SUz{Tʻltƴd/E>Ғፕ*Ir'[HWii/3pT\eu+ԓ<%4eBVP*m۴cge\P$W=ƍJ?Nx%zTtq'e85phGV~U_9-7S@ꙭkRm^%StО)R{VA32+AT䑀kߩbInl6sިH|vjкH7J1 '>'vf#ֺ0i-iTfʞjJNS޵p^]+ʭC#a MSJ)3f]N:#cMrmbv""O*xDl _\W$Rt9R4Yh[`?ZuۋRМ#ihQ!| *O80F=cOaXkFw~VR. ('&}RI艮K`r{sNN!|ir@#Y I5oX#}·5aC7<~E#C ޹UaR[LF컀9#=}V"rXv'4Xw.@40:lgan:*"s9u8!+7=Gñ@sOm2 :W'ki*s]=ětXΥ6Rڤ/$W3/ZktpZ ] j-οt"Fc140 ԥʷ9Iz4VQqpe[!rcYd N:k m#F1JRЩ`pX`}Mv{]]LZ2Qi[BIݕ$V4ef۴n@qYaeg#8o[H7 UX-Fp ZNI @"gG}** 96i6d!Բr xmj%0T©|G7~Pk>UԖOnx7QM]мNDž= r ~m+_ OfQ{ĺg>w,u'c+Q$ً;q\JD$uEtZu+h7s}MikMZAe4β[ D<94}YuU@?_hWl k7ש4`q绗](œy$QOZ$kfjoSb3';h *H"aIɫ1ZiH80^^9Vo \ܚLOI; v0Uc=qV%*n[IFEx dd} O ˾62@ieeF(~jh8'!nRRW= +{H$q g\Qa [#_zF7* ǠƪGF8#M.8θg5Z K=Oq\sSQO\@A k777"2[0Dkޮ?Y`}w&Gh6-H淚,aÚ4L*F=E~5;c8]ףAk})eW k[ns۝o ~V)}Wcn \28Vi ݎ[G .EVk5 FN@5kZC*>NFE\<<1Wz1ƻ 쬣1m\@IZ%BަW~biCUnJ+._<5d>g7snElQԼTYщ$'q n.x&>ā&e85(B6aR1j$w>OLN1x N{(rp*Mq:}iV?"Di/EEx)hUB(# پoSSAtʨOr:T?)+sY&pҹvҜLR,C~&2S(=+Р) r7\ *gvd.:b;oB:.\ܪDac8\)7ҥSI+"f&:8NUGMLp)9W涣̤#+CLot$g%֬$d`Syd'SnHQ!uv +]dxSlΩ p^ j|wq,41N~b<=hMr$΍/WlG -ըkyPe{qyMO)  s:ުb6ٖ6\&٘Z/\ Ʃ|.F0 Ѓsj4đZ7zl|d=(̏?Ƥ N;`T@kOS]OtZbyyj4^]~֞f{nLUG]wdlw44F]ۀdZZ'=aAȻ' ׯN-t(YnH#Ԛ=_kMoQ;Kߕa\ZIm3G*4nnxӥek^j$$Q jq,G=^Dbĉ 't$61b#lzā=̘ثM\n4pjS{c,*_. ?*Ġk/?Me\ÚZdW5+E'].|~Ԟ&!VF@S"0 rI4k#Uڿ ͝>!AWH cz]ưʠ+F c޶4̠~Lo r5XME i_ jt^T2HDGg[GRE2nŠnrJ+[+#03O#R/Py41N99k0=BMA)d[ gYhZyvPZIעk6]ޭܟ݅iJ UAM[?yE諥؈! 8-,Gmq.:(V>D!MZl @JpoJ@>)qZQt~Pv^@Ί냑^g[]IFђ\wS<+_eYdEeU;ho~Tӣ[ux19ЊҶ..Kn3kN~3f)l]#t\߆-S] ̀53j_8la懗5Հy +yp21ҷ4s $nxr#f-x JhRxq~) z3pa3ݧw:fڤ7Yg2lV.>튃g145N@"pAk;ϘwtE)|ph U %H'@lϵ"X09+4ɍPV23i6=cO j*so}4,R5#=ԭYEËd5z&Yk1n捸e+¢Zа&Ya*y4J?.lkzZDJZvv1QߵnJ_˥Pմ}^r:֯ҐMOP# HK)h(\ebnl(MAlpz ?|Xh;08ң l54RU3IUg8#Q?,gs+>_Y@>?REz|cgSr7vRoc:RgF]G,Gґ_v 7̤q1^Il.\n׬瞣bˠͪy??7 q21:cK[́n2ǰ\NbV 3ӌf_M7Ӝ|00dw KJȥ7-Y3/`W~Q /Ļ ڸfVj㓺R+Lʼ\l15s'B:#l7G=?κ/$Q+IJo$κ%JNRG-I(LY($!8c3egtr@DjAFasWۻGGcȻK7{U'rkj`sYUTaUk)-}U YcXƻl讆5,J]€K/OQ]74ԼF*M='>^a:pvԃۥWTjZ&{U'Z.KqXK¼n:7Zʑ!eCK,§zI>cR٢VCp=q~M٘Ae>8,ۀ+^O3+~+QW[F|=n,Z{+/(3WZY? ЃQP˂cv(9-YUKm3C!l>\#Jve`9+ŵr%̹^j+ю:?cR'yP9R:׏z žM͌/Z f1ե qk zz"U"IBUL dTBfjjMX38uħ$.8BOt=rY --o Ed 9|cּ ĚO!)E=t}̇3U8m~#AGQQ0OҐ@&o7=TQHdvyTǑ֠ǵLHLBGJw#q74 'J`4/'Cҽ"/[\ipX53^p]? 'Es]7gz!0եF3P;6 迱DAl`-$`΍2eG.#'HOE5r0ENTfbsZmBrB`OZZKio XvDɔ>d/;ҵ1=*Q gH30&FOZ:Vΐ G2"E"[CS}6?zż{BH })| <(P0jZ1"{k+ j=')cq\n{ lR.uu) 8>„jh1g#̂a^a=֕nUb#9>.\(ֵ%gdaPqh簞ss6e 8AϮjRW\øhg/ȼEs 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 theworld 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 wha 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 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 winnVjcɜ.q=k%Mm u;"77[^5.h 5Y4kkK%NjQ$IU!ztOgQ %<:BMFԖY[8­CQz)bd5qgeOG3>Q\#V8Y:2HG0|V`z`'q@Шk# sL-ȥhx tkYv4¹MuF"Jl԰-fșM_MZ3,rbkMX97{;S^ fc^\#TdlicFHgμ2 ]ްjnǸD6CPI ݮ%u#QhѣmzV BriH--;șOq6WfGX\mީΖh0񍬞sQ`jy,Dem +jc:EٱHÝ`ruɑl]P(BhDZ䨆,Xvִ(2Y ҳ30EBC\(Hoxa+f)tЎǼ5׷ƶb(vL{U{鴕siw;x6q`Ǔae hY,\kQAqf(sk(xFCV[!+]<3,0ljAq \#Tmuu~FнīPTڬhctJQStdSG0] IͺuS!SNƤ ZjPXP_; r0ށ__J' &…>宥- ՔXCkP/TҺL#D&dz {]J|dOd(-߽rluZR4pUq VI PW1]:#oJ+Cӥ+>^ta.~MA}waC:!{]B3hNd;$ԥOԬi(sY b|[ %&1}7uJrX{ziV/2iX6ŵkkK5$>{֪tlG MHJC>a*^E"7Ss0:3 D-׭t49b̮MW݃i'B:u8C9q7g\2fiܞrm95+g^`[2rgsAٱlܨv𒠭FƮ Z^I<G|PH@LGG@oDW‹b4t4<ޚBl{ - ճQ$gcmЩ&(PZw;V[#Jf۬ǡ.5~Ȝ C#- =FU)aV=9.NG%KVēUU1>T-Ңş1lʤ4[M#d6֭dM`*:W12@Ҁ[#c .o|h|(|?iЦ3I.[oF2Qzt +쿩m8vdޝ $$v=<]tC"ݨժdH<`2ޯЦ,or9(խ4-V~}T_r]{'sA-WkܯVN5 [h}Lto~ ci Mu4-} Wyy2B-] Tod`f-x.`nKz,xK@6Ы%R DQ+v )A̾cSo;Rtq->6NfpmH(:A=C*p9Gׄ\5ʃ,C%=.(L`9DMr%6v}.]CB4s+A[,4V?p Z)#+{/Mi"!k;U&OJi1mmc:xu"E1.mlߴ x. 8*jR$,xDd)h;2&̞Fw+B}zċkX] >EDAЊаM+w O ")cէzVef ҂i=:hD+=K7iY,!k,r;[x2A l4W2$H`>y c0ucn[l#@=~X]0sn5Z*`G\N*Z @)[27p(6 .sEm-.l3/L`P%rvn ˞-pzA\(ЄW jH9(z(@!R!ŗ Z jwucLϤmp>bȶ#H{fަbdLIw`blp $SVV"$K.^3SW-U_i͍T1c\TAڤ8mB&M#CWlrsw}I.FõU\(J'R)|w;i kxvyT.k^"En \q2#LZ*YI_vLioSpP35Dpk@mail BFS with Your Comments" name="InfoRO" width="135" height="15" borwUFP8<=D 8 [Imͅ[9;uHJ6ߦ<)VZ׎%ӆ 0s1*T؜x92`@OrqlUh^>%?_|M*Ck$$nC)bB;[2$V Ph b7z]fd|1IuމC2zk\Z\}^Homb;eѰpCթLu+lRq.^lp+u8~X~z}ڿֆۘMKc_@!!qO-