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Unhappy O’Brien Has Lead Ex-Idaho Star Expects Another Victory Despite Low Score On First Day Of Decathlon

From Wire Reports

Dan O’Brien was so heavily favored in the world championship decathlon that the U.S. athlete had his sights set on not just victory but the 9,000-point barrier.

After struggling Sunday through the first three of the 10 events, the former University of Idaho star had to be happy merely with being ahead.

“I’m not living up to the expectations I set for myself,” said O’Brien, world record-holder at 8,891 points. “But if I don’t win, I’ll be very, very surprised.”

Though he is 192 points behind his world-record pace, O’Brien goes into today’s final five events with a 47-point lead over American teammate Chris Huffins and a 200-point lead over third-place Erki Nool of Estonia.

O’Brien, who trailed Huffins by 107 points after the 100 meters, long jump and shot put, moved into the lead with his only event win of the day, in the high jump.

Like a lot of people who didn’t get enough sleep, O’Brien had trouble getting started. However few are two-time world champions and world record-holders in the decathlon.

The Moscow, Idaho, resident ran the second-best time in the 100 at 10.57. Huffins, racing in the same heat, finished in 10.34.

Huffins and O’Brien competed in the same group in the long jump with Huffins finishing at 25-9 and O’Brien at 24-9. O’Brien finished ninth in his group in the shot put at 48-7.

O’Brien said he was a little tired.

“I only had seven hours of rest last night. I wasn’t fully rested when I came in,” he said.

Things picked up for O’Brien in the fourth event, the high jump, where he had a winning leap of 6-11-3/4. He came through with a fourth-best time of 47.81 in the 400 meters to wrap up the day’s events.

O’Brien says he knows the cure for his tiredness.

“Go to bed and get up plenty early to prepare.”

Another thing he knows after his slow start.

“This for sure will be the lowest scoring world championship ever,” he said. O’Brien twice flirted with the world record in scoring 8,812 in Tokyo in 1991 and 8,817 in Stuttgart 1993 when he won world titles.