Injured O’Brien ‘officially done’ with decathlon

PHOENIX — Former Olympic decathlon champion Dan O’Brien retired Thursday after a pelvic injury ended his comeback plans.

“I am officially done with the decathlon,” said O’Brien, who won the decathlon gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Games. “My body can take no more.”

The injury ended his plans to compete at this weekend’s U.S. Olympic track and field trials in Sacramento, Calif., where he hoped to begin a comeback six years after he last competed in a decathlon.

“I continued to do the decathlon all this time because I really loved the training,” O’Brien, 37, said. “It’s probably the thing I’ll miss the most.”

O’Brien, the former Idaho athlete who lives in Arizona, said he had not ruled out the possibility of competing in individual track and field events in the future. He plans to go to the Athens Games as a spectator and media commentator.

“I’m going to just go and enjoy it,” he said.

Since winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the Goodwill Games in 1998, O’Brien has been plagued by foot injuries. He made it through eight events at the 2002 U.S. championships before withdrawing with foot problems.