Birth and Adoption :
July 18, 1966, and lived in an orphanage. He was born to two college students, an African American father and a Finnish (white) mother. In the sixties it was hard to place babies of mixed race so Dan bounced around from foster home to foster home. He was later adopted by the O'Briens at the age of 2.Olympic Record:
Competed in and won a gold medal in the decathlon in the 1996 Olympics.Known for ...:
the decathlon. The decathlon is a collection of ten track events that includes the high jump, long jump, pole vault, javelin, discus, shot put, the 100, 400, 1500 meter runs, and the 110 meter hurdles. The decathlon is a two-day test of endurance and is one of the most difficult events in the Olympics.Fun Fact:
Has an interest in cultures due to being in a family of many heritages. Dan’s brothers and sisters included an American Indian, an African American, a Mexican American, two Korean Americans.What is he doing now?:
He devotes time to the Dan O’Brien Youth Foundation “to show kids it’s cool to get your work done instead of goofing off and being a jerk".Back to the Olympic Athletes and Their Adoption Connection.
Back to Famous Foster Kids Index.
