Dan Jansen

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Olympic medalist
Center
Dan Jansen
Medal record
Men's speed skating
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1994 Lillehammer 1,000 m

Daniel ("Dan") Erwin Jansen was on born June 17, 1965 in West Allis, Wisconsin. He was the youngest of nine children born to Harry Jansen (a police officer) and Geraldine (Grajek) Jansen, a part-time nurse. He is a retired American speed skater, best known for winning a gold medal in world record time in his final race (1000 meters) in the 1994 Winter Olympics after suffering through years of career losses and personal tragedies.

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Early career [edit]

Dan Jansen graduated from West Allis Central High School, Wisconsin. Inspired by his sister Jane, Dan Jansen took up speedskating while growing up. He set a junior world record in the 500 meter race at age sixteen, and finished sixteenth in the 1,000 meters and fourth in the 500 meters at the 1984 Winter Olympics.

Competitive history [edit]

Jansen's competitive results improved in the years since the 1984 Olympics, and he overcame a case of mononucleosis in 1987. In 1988, he became the World Sprint Champion. In the 1988 Winter Olympics, Jansen was a favorite for the 500 and 1,000 meter races.

However, in the early hours of the day of the 500 meter event, he was informed that his 27-year-old sister Jane was dying of leukemia, but was unable to receive a response. Later that day, Jansen was notified of his sister's passing, and he fell early in his event. A few days later in the 1,000 meter event, he began with record-breaking speed but fell again. Jansen left the 1988 Olympics with no medals, but became the recipient of the U.S. Olympic Spirit Award for his valiant efforts through tragedy.

In the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville, he finished fourth in the 500 meters and twenty-sixth in the 1,000 meters, and left the games with no medals. In 1993, Dan Jansen set a world record in the 500 meters event and was cast as a favorite to win the gold medal in the event at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer.

Between the 1992 and 1994 Olympics, Jansen was the only skater to break 36 seconds in the 500 meters, doing so four times. In 1994, Jansen won his second World Sprint Championships title, and he arrived at the 1994 Winter Olympics for one final attempt at an Olympic medal. In the 500 meter event, he finished eighth. In preparation for the 1,000 meter event, he was coached by Peter Mueller, who won the same event in the 1976 Winter Olympics. Jansen defied expectations and finished first, winning his first and only Olympic medal of his career, while setting a new world record in the process. He dedicated the gold medal to his late sister, then took one final victory lap around the rink with his one-year-old daughter, Jane. For his efforts, Jansen received the 1994 James E. Sullivan Award and was chosen by his fellow Olympians to bear the U.S. flag at the closing ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics. He was elected to the Wisconsin Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995.[1]

Post-Olympics history [edit]

Jansen was inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame in 2004. Today, Jansen is a speed skating commentator for NBC and from 2005-2007 he was the skating coach for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League. He appeared in a commercial for Visa, directed by Emmy nominee Brent Roske, during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. During those games, Jansen shared his experiences from his sister's death during the Calgary Olympics with figure skater Joannie Rochette, sending her an e-mail after hearing that her mother suffered a fatal heart attack.[2]

He has also set up the Dan Jansen Foundation in memory of his sister, with the purpose of fighting leukemia. He is also a supporter of the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation where he is an honorary board member.[3]

Personal life [edit]

Dan Jansen has been married twice. He was wed to Robin Wicker from 1990-1998. They had two daughters, Jane (named after his late sister) and Olivia. He married Karen Palacios (a top golf teaching professional) in 2000. After retiring from active competition, Jansen worked as a motivational speaker and as a sales rep for an orthopedic equipment company. Jansen now lives in Mooresville, N.C., with his wife Karen Palacios and is heavily involved in the Dan Jansen Foundation, which raises money for leukemia patients. Jansen is also an experienced television broadcaster whose credits include NBC 2002 Winter Olympics, CBS 1998 Winter Olympics, and Turner’s Summer and Winter Goodwill Games.

Records [edit]

World records [edit]

Over the course of his career, Jansen set 8 world records in speed skating:

Event Time Date Venue
500 m 0.36,41 January 25, 1992 Switzerland Davos
500 m 0.36,41 March 19, 1993 Canada Calgary
500 m 0.36,02 March 20, 1993 Canada Calgary
Sprint combination 145.580 March 20, 1993 Canada Calgary
500 m 0.35,92 December 4, 1993 Norway Hamar
500 m 0.35,76 January 30, 1994 Canada Calgary
Sprint combination 144.815 January 30, 1994 Canada Calgary
1000 m 1.12,43 February 18, 1994 Norway Hamar

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[4]

Personal records [edit]

Distance Result Date Location
500 m 35.76 30 January 1994 Calgary
1,000 m 1:12.43 18 February 1994 Hamar
1,500 m 1:55.62 14 March 1993 Heerenveen
3,000 m 4:25.63 5 March 1983 Sarajevo
5,000 m 7:50.22 7 February 1982 Inzell

Source: SpeedskatingResults.com[5]

References [edit]

  1. ^ Kannada Anubhava. R.V. College of Engineering, Bangalore. 2010. pp. 87–88. 
  2. ^ Branswell, Helen (February 24, 2010). "Former speedskating sprinter Dan Jansen understands Rochette's grief". Canadian Press. 
  3. ^ "MMRF Honorary Board". 
  4. ^ "Dan Jansen". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Retrieved 29 August 2012. 
  5. ^ "Dan Jansen". SpeedskatingResults.com. Retrieved 29 August 2012. 


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