Dan O'Brien in Duluth April 21-22

Olympic Gold Medalist Dan O’Brien will be the featured speaker at the Essentia Health Fit-n-Fun Middle School Assemblies on April 21 and 22.

 O’Brien took home the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. The five-time US champion and three-time world champion in the decathlon will give presentations to students:

 April 21

10 a.m: Ordean East Middle School, Duluth

2 p.m: Superior (Wis.) Middle School

April 22

10 a.m: Lincoln Park Middle School, Duluth

 O’Brien was adopted at the age of two, and raised in a home with seven other children. With a great deal of self-determination and commitment, he became one of the most successful and dominant athletes in the history of sports.

However, when he failed to qualify for the 1992 US Olympic team, he became one of the most publicized failures in history. O’Brien didn’t give up on his dream though and set his sights on the 1996 Olympics. His Olympic gold medal was the first for an American in the decathlon since 1976.

O’Brien’s career has been nothing shy of astounding, as he also set a World Record that stood for over seven years, achieved three World Championships and two Goodwill Games Championships.

O’Brien, 48, resides in Scottsdale, AZ., and continues to give back to a sport as a coach, television analyst, and mentor.

For more on O’Brien, visit http://www.danobrien.com/