A second shot at gold: Dan O’Brien offers advice to Olympic hopeful Donavan Brazier

PORTLAND, Ore. (WOOD) – Dan O’Brien and Donavan Brazier both know the heartbreak of being favored for gold, only to fall short before the Olympic games even begin.

In 1992, O’Brien was considered the man to beat in the decathlon heading into the Barcelona Olympics. That is until he failed to clear the bar at the pole vault during the trials and missed a spot on the team.

Four years later, O’Brien changed his story when he topped the podium at the Atlanta Olympics. Now, the man once dubbed “the world’s greatest athlete” is trying to encourage Brazier to a similar comeback.

Brazier burst on the scene as a freshman at Texas A&M, shattering the NCAA 800-meter records in the process. By 2019 he had become an unbeatable force, going nearly two years without a loss. The success culminated in a world championship, but that wasn’t the end of his story.

“At one point in time I was able to say that I was the best, but I think it’s also kind
of a curse in track and field, because you’re always looking to the next great thing,” Brazier said during a recent interview while training in Portland.

Years later, he’s still searching for something.

In 2021, a foot injury knocked him off the fast track and put a damper on his dreams. At the COVID-delayed Olympic Trials for Tokyo, he faded down the stretch and finished last, more than five seconds behind his championship time.

“When I signed to be a professional track and field athlete, the highs are extremely high and the lows are extremely low. When I get on those highs, there’s no better place to be,” Brazier said.

Brazier said he’s never felt a low like missing the Olympic team.

During a meeting in Portland, O’Brien shared memories of his own lows. The decathlete turned disappointment at the trials into a world record a few weeks later. He went on to become world champion before claiming gold in Barcelona.

O’Brien said his losses provided valuable knowledge.

“I learned more from one day (at the trials) in New Orleans than I did from all of those successes combined,” O’Brien said during a mentoring session with Brazier.

Brazier, on the other hand, has never watched his race from the Olympic Trials.

“I never like to. I know I have certain memories. I remember walking off the track and seeing my family members on the side, and knowing…and they’re crying because they feel my pain, but I don’t like being the cause of that,” Brazier said.

While Brazier may not follow O’Brien’s words of wisdom step-by-step, the knowledge that it can be done has given him the hope he needs to redeem his dream.

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