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Jansen, Dan
- Earned 1,000-meters gold medal at 1994 Olympic Winter Games in Lillehammer
- 1994 world record-holder in 500m and 1,000m
- 1994 Sullivan Award winner
- First man to break 36 seconds in the 500m
- Although Jansen is one of the biggest names in speed skating, he is better known for what he didn't do, rather than what he did. He competed in three Olympiads before finally winning a medal in the 1994 Games.
- In his last competition at the 1994 Games, he won his first Olympic gold medal while setting a world record in the process.
- Awarded the Amateur Athletic Union's 1994 James E. Sullivan Award, presented annually to the outstanding athlete in the United States who exhibits the qualities of leadership, character, sportsmanship and the ideals of amateurism.
- Will work as a speed skating commentator for NBC at the 2002 Games
- Attended the University of Wisconsin
- Established the Dan Jansen Foundation, which contributes to youth sports programs, educational and scholarship awards and the research of leukemia - an illness which claimed the life of his sister, Jane. Log on to www.djfoundation.org
- Hosts the Dan Jansen Celebrity Weekend Classic to support his foundation. The classic features a celebrity softball game, banquet and golf outing.
- Worked as a webcast commentator for WeMedia Inc. at the 2000 Paralympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
- A movie was made about his life, entitled 'A Brother's Promise: The Dan Jansen Story'
Jansen now uses his story of ups and downs to motivate others. He even has advice for aspiring Olympic champions: "First and foremost, always have fun at what you're doing. You certainly have to work very hard to achieve that level, and if you're not having fun, you'll never enjoy the training part of it. It's a lot of hard work, and it's not always fun to train when it's 90 degrees in the summer time and you're running up a ski hill. So you've got to enjoy it."
Related Links
Photo gallery: Olympic speedskating champion Dan Jansen
"Within moments of crossing the line, I looked toward the score board, but there were so many times displayed ... it was all so blurred ... and then I saw my name and the letters, 'WR, 1:12.43,' a new world record. Faster than any human in history."
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Born: 6/17/1965
Hometown: West Allis, Wis.
Resides: Greenfield, Wis.
Sport: Speed Skating
Event: Speed Skating
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