Photo: Gumpert10, modified by SuperManu—Public domain
Dan O'Brien
- Born
- Jul 18, 1966 (60 years old)
- Birthplace
- Portland, United States
- Events
- Decathlon · Heptathlon Short Track
- Height
- 1.88 m
- Weight
- 84 kg
Dan O'Brien is an American former decathlete born on July 18, 1966, in Portland, Oregon. Standing 188 cm and weighing 84 kg, he became one of the greatest decathletes in history, winning the Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
O'Brien dominated the decathlon during the early 1990s, winning three consecutive World Championship titles in 1991, 1993, and 1995. In 1992, he set the world record with 8,891 points at the Talence meeting in France, though he had famously failed to qualify for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics after missing all three attempts in the pole vault at the U.S. Trials.
His redemption came at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, where he won gold on home soil with 8,824 points. O'Brien's combination of speed, strength, and technical skill across all ten events established him as the standard by which decathletes of his era were measured. His world record stood for seven years.
As of Oct 27, 2026: Decathlon 8891 (#9 all-time), Heptathlon Short Track 6476, 2003 season best 14.89 (May 10, 2003, Modesto, CA (USA)) · Olympic Games: 1 gold · World Championships: 3 gold · 60 years old
Personal bests
WA points calculator →Medals
| Competitions | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 1 | – | – | 1 |
| World Championships | 3 | – | – | 3 |
| Total | 4 | – | – | 4 |
Progression
| Season | Discipline | Result | Wind | Date | Competitions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 110mH | 14.89 | +1.4 | May 10, 2003 | Modesto, CA (USA) |
| 2003 | JT | 62.04 | – | May 10, 2003 | Modesto, CA (USA) |
| 2002 | HJ | 2.01 | – | Jun 19, 2002 | Berkeley, CA (USA) |
| 2002 | PV | 4.80 | – | Jun 20, 2002 | Berkeley, CA (USA) |
| 2002 | LJ | 7.12 | – | Jun 19, 2002 | Berkeley, CA (USA) |
| 2002 | 55mH | 7.56 | – | Jan 12, 2002 | – |
| 2002 | 55mH Indoor | 7.56 | – | Jan 12, 2002 | Chenay (USA) (i) |
| 2002 | 100m | 10.86 | -0.9 | Jun 19, 2002 | Berkeley, CA (USA) |