Dan O'Brien of the United States has earned the title "the World's Greatest Athlete." Three times he has won the gold medal in the decathlon, the most grueling event in track and field, at the World Track and Field Championships. In 1992 O'Brien broke the world record in the decathlon, and several times he has threatened to surpass 9,000 points, a barrier no man has ever reached. Despite his accomplishments, many fans remember him for the competition he did not win--the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials. A mistake in the pole vault cost O'Brien a chance to win an Olympic gold medal in the decathlon. Under intense pressure, he proved he was the world's greatest athlete when he captured the decathlon at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia.

Growing up

Adopted son

Dan O'Brien was born July 18, 1966, in Portland, Oregon. His parents gave him up for adoption at birth. O'Brien spent...