Grandma's Marathon's Young Athletes Foundation continues it's partnership with Duluth Public Schools and Essentia Health to bring an amazing speaker and athlete to the Northland next week.

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 U.S. 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

According to Grandma's Marathon, 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 U.S. 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.

It should an extremely rewarding experience for everyone who gets to be there.

 

 

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