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On Valentine's Day in 1988, Dan Jansen was awakened at Calgary's Olympic Village with terrible news: His sister was dying of leukemia.
Then 22, Dan was a world-champion speed skater. Favored to win his Olympic race later that day, he had one last phone call with 27-year-old Jane.
On a ventilator, she could understand him but couldn't speak. She died around 10 a.m., just hours after the call.
With Jane's health declining before the Olympics, she had urged Dan to compete and not change his plans. So he fought through his grief in the 500-meter race.
But he slipped and fell. The same thing happened a few days later in the 1000-meter race.
The next day, Dan held a packed news conference. The moderator set a ground rule: No questions about Jane's passing.
When a reporter broke the rule, Jansen kept his composure.
"He was very calm," recalled Mike Jansen, Dan's brother. "He sat back and said, 'We're not answering questions about that.'"
By then, Dan Jansen had won a legion of supporters for his ability to fight through adversity.
Jansen returned to the Olympics four years later but missed out again on winning any medals. It was only in his last Olympics in 1994, after 10 years of intense Olympic effort, that he finally won a gold medal.
For Jansen, the long road to Olympic glory was the culmination of years of mental and physical preparation.
At 12, Jansen competed in his first national championship along with his brother Mike, another elite speed skater. Their parents drove the boys from their Wisconsin home to Minnesota for the race.
Mike won his race. But Dan finished second in his event.
"I was happy for him but I was devastated," Dan said. "For much of the six-hour drive back home, I was crying in the back seat."
Jansen, 61, describes his father as a "gentle giant" who shared words of wisdom during trying times. So he waited for his dad to console him.
"When we get home, he comes into the room and says, 'There's more to life than skating around in a circle,'" Dan said. "At the time, it was the worst thing to say. But 10 years later when my sister passed away on the morning of my race and I fell, it put everything in perspective. It was a defining lesson in my life."
The Calgary Games were not Jansen's first Olympics. He made his debut four years earlier in Sarajevo as an 18-year-old world champion who was expected to win the gold.
"I finished in fourth place (in the 500-meters) and just missed a bronze," he said. "I was hoping to finish in the top 10. So I thought, 'I did OK.'"
Yet others treated his fourth-place finish as a crushing disappointment.
"I think it's important that you measure your own success," he said. "I don't like that others can call you a success or failure. You're the only one who knows if you gave it everything."
Jansen had unlocked a key to superior performance: Rather than focus on how others perceive you, set your own goals and judge yourself based on whether you perform at your best.
By the time he won his first medal — a gold — in his last race at his last Olympics in 1994, he had established a stellar track record as a dominant force in his sport.
"But I would've been labeled a failure if I hadn't won that last race (even) after winning 46 World Cup races," he said.
Today, Jansen applies his success in myriad ways. He partnered with former tennis pro Simona Moore to launch Jansen Eyewear. And he trains NASCAR drivers on strength and conditioning.
Jansen strives to excel on his own terms. When competing on the ice, his main concern is giving his best effort.
"If I skate at my best and someone beats me, more power of them," he said.
Olympians wait four years for the big race. They have to make peace with deferring their dream.
Jansen credits his success to his ability to set short-term goals — often daily training goals — alongside long-term goals. That means focusing on the present, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
"And it requires having fun," he said. "That includes running up ski hills in 90-degree heat. I didn't train every day loving the pain. But you can't wake up and go, 'I have to wait four years to give this another shot' or 'I've got to do this for 1,200 more days' because the training is so intense."
Jansen's attitude propelled his perseverance. In the 1992 Olympics, he finished fourth again in the 500-meter race that he was expected to win.
The next morning, he met his father for breakfast at a restaurant in Albertville, France. Devastated, he assumed his dad would say, "We're proud of you" or "You did your best."
Instead, he said something that has stayed with Jansen for 34 years.
"You're my hero," he told his son.
"It was the most significant thing he could've said," Jansen said. "It meant everything to me. And it cemented my decision to go after another Olympics. The load I was bearing became bearable."
In his last Olympics in 1994, Jansen finished eighth in the 500-meter race and his chances for a medal were fading. He had one more shot — the 1000 meters — scheduled three days later.
It was an agonizing three days.
Well-wishers kept approaching him with a strained look on their face. He kept thanking them, saying, "I appreciate it. It'll be OK."
"I felt really good in the 500 (meter) and I just slipped," Jansen recalled. "Everyone felt sorry for me."
He surrounded himself with positive people including his coach, Peter Mueller, and a sports psychologist who worked closely with him, James Loehr. But mostly, he spent those three days with his family.
"My daughter was eight months old and we were all together as a family," Jansen said. "All I needed was to be with them. We were just doing normal things and having normal family conversations" when he wasn't training.
By staying grounded, Jansen had a positive mindset going into that last race. This time, everything fell into place. He won the gold medal and set the world record.
Knowing Dan's story, fans around the world celebrated his triumph.
"Other skaters were putting on their skates in the locker room when they heard his (record-setting) time," Mike said. "All of his competitors started cheering. Everyone thought, 'It's about time Dan won his medal.'"
In an unforgettable image televised across the globe, Dan beamed as he took a victory lap around the ice carrying his daughter. She was named Jane after his late sister.
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Then 22, Dan was a world-champion speed skater. Favored to win his Olympic race later that day, he had one last phone call with 27-year-old Jane.
On a ventilator, she could understand him but couldn't speak. She died around 10 a.m., just hours after the call.
Compete Despite Personal Hardship
With Jane's health declining before the Olympics, she had urged Dan to compete and not change his plans. So he fought through his grief in the 500-meter race.
But he slipped and fell. The same thing happened a few days later in the 1000-meter race.
The next day, Dan held a packed news conference. The moderator set a ground rule: No questions about Jane's passing.
When a reporter broke the rule, Jansen kept his composure.
"He was very calm," recalled Mike Jansen, Dan's brother. "He sat back and said, 'We're not answering questions about that.'"
Recruit Support
By then, Dan Jansen had won a legion of supporters for his ability to fight through adversity.
Jansen returned to the Olympics four years later but missed out again on winning any medals. It was only in his last Olympics in 1994, after 10 years of intense Olympic effort, that he finally won a gold medal.
For Jansen, the long road to Olympic glory was the culmination of years of mental and physical preparation.
At 12, Jansen competed in his first national championship along with his brother Mike, another elite speed skater. Their parents drove the boys from their Wisconsin home to Minnesota for the race.
Mike won his race. But Dan finished second in his event.
"I was happy for him but I was devastated," Dan said. "For much of the six-hour drive back home, I was crying in the back seat."
Accept Help From People You Trust
Jansen, 61, describes his father as a "gentle giant" who shared words of wisdom during trying times. So he waited for his dad to console him.
"When we get home, he comes into the room and says, 'There's more to life than skating around in a circle,'" Dan said. "At the time, it was the worst thing to say. But 10 years later when my sister passed away on the morning of my race and I fell, it put everything in perspective. It was a defining lesson in my life."
Measure Success On Your Terms
The Calgary Games were not Jansen's first Olympics. He made his debut four years earlier in Sarajevo as an 18-year-old world champion who was expected to win the gold.
"I finished in fourth place (in the 500-meters) and just missed a bronze," he said. "I was hoping to finish in the top 10. So I thought, 'I did OK.'"
Yet others treated his fourth-place finish as a crushing disappointment.
"I think it's important that you measure your own success," he said. "I don't like that others can call you a success or failure. You're the only one who knows if you gave it everything."
Jansen had unlocked a key to superior performance: Rather than focus on how others perceive you, set your own goals and judge yourself based on whether you perform at your best.
By the time he won his first medal — a gold — in his last race at his last Olympics in 1994, he had established a stellar track record as a dominant force in his sport.
"But I would've been labeled a failure if I hadn't won that last race (even) after winning 46 World Cup races," he said.
Today, Jansen applies his success in myriad ways. He partnered with former tennis pro Simona Moore to launch Jansen Eyewear. And he trains NASCAR drivers on strength and conditioning.
Jansen strives to excel on his own terms. When competing on the ice, his main concern is giving his best effort.
"If I skate at my best and someone beats me, more power of them," he said.
Use Short-Term Goals To Attain Long-Term Goals
Olympians wait four years for the big race. They have to make peace with deferring their dream.
Jansen credits his success to his ability to set short-term goals — often daily training goals — alongside long-term goals. That means focusing on the present, not dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.
"And it requires having fun," he said. "That includes running up ski hills in 90-degree heat. I didn't train every day loving the pain. But you can't wake up and go, 'I have to wait four years to give this another shot' or 'I've got to do this for 1,200 more days' because the training is so intense."
Jansen's attitude propelled his perseverance. In the 1992 Olympics, he finished fourth again in the 500-meter race that he was expected to win.
The next morning, he met his father for breakfast at a restaurant in Albertville, France. Devastated, he assumed his dad would say, "We're proud of you" or "You did your best."
Instead, he said something that has stayed with Jansen for 34 years.
"You're my hero," he told his son.
"It was the most significant thing he could've said," Jansen said. "It meant everything to me. And it cemented my decision to go after another Olympics. The load I was bearing became bearable."
Ace Your Last Chance
In his last Olympics in 1994, Jansen finished eighth in the 500-meter race and his chances for a medal were fading. He had one more shot — the 1000 meters — scheduled three days later.
It was an agonizing three days.
Well-wishers kept approaching him with a strained look on their face. He kept thanking them, saying, "I appreciate it. It'll be OK."
"I felt really good in the 500 (meter) and I just slipped," Jansen recalled. "Everyone felt sorry for me."
He surrounded himself with positive people including his coach, Peter Mueller, and a sports psychologist who worked closely with him, James Loehr. But mostly, he spent those three days with his family.
"My daughter was eight months old and we were all together as a family," Jansen said. "All I needed was to be with them. We were just doing normal things and having normal family conversations" when he wasn't training.
By staying grounded, Jansen had a positive mindset going into that last race. This time, everything fell into place. He won the gold medal and set the world record.
Knowing Dan's story, fans around the world celebrated his triumph.
"Other skaters were putting on their skates in the locker room when they heard his (record-setting) time," Mike said. "All of his competitors started cheering. Everyone thought, 'It's about time Dan won his medal.'"
In an unforgettable image televised across the globe, Dan beamed as he took a victory lap around the ice carrying his daughter. She was named Jane after his late sister.
Dan Jansen's Keys:
- Won gold medal at 1994 Olympics and, over his career, won 46 individual World Cup races and set eight world records in speed skating.
- Overcame: Losing his sister to leukemia just hours before competing in the 1988 Olympics.
- Lesson: "I think it's important that you measure your own success. I don't like that others can call you a success or failure. You're the only one who knows if you gave it everything."
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Meet The Guy Who Runs A Massive $2.7 Trillion Bond Portfolio
Be Detailed And Targeted To Raise Money
Inspirational Quotes: Columbus Short, Sam Rayburn And Others
IBD Digital: Unlock IBD's Premium Stock Lists, Tools And Analysis Today
Continue reading...
