Jansen, Dan

Dan Jansen, byname of Daniel Jansen, (born June 17, 1965, West Allis, Wisconsin, U.S.), American speed skater whose dominance in the sprint races of his sport was overshadowed by his misfortune in the Olympic Winter Games.

Jansen grew up in a family of skating enthusiasts and competed in his first meets at the age of four. At the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia (now in Bosnia and Herzegovina), he was the youngest skater in the competition, yet he managed an impressive fourth-place finish in the 500-metre event. In 1986 he won the 500- and 1,000-metre World Cup titles. His victory at the world sprint championships one week before the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, was the first by an American since Eric Heiden in 1980. Several hours before Jansen was to compete in the 500-metre skate, his sister, Jane, died of leukemia. Stunned by the news, he skated nonetheless and fell during the race. Days later, in the 1,000-metre event, Jansen tumbled again.

Jansen continued skating and set a new world record in the 500-metre race in 1992. At the 1992 Winter Games in Albertville, France, however, he seemed to be haunted by his falls in Calgary, and he finished a disappointing 4th in the 500-metre race and 26th in the 1,000-metre race. At the 1994 world sprint championships he became the first person ever to skate the 500-metre event in less than 36 seconds (35.76 sec). Yet misfortune struck again at the 1994 Games in Lillehammer, Norway, when he slipped in the 500-metre skate. Jansen made what would be his last attempt at an Olympic medal in the 1,000-metre race, turning in a world record-setting time of 1 min 12.43 sec and finally earning a gold medal. He retired from competition after the 1994 Games, having won seven World Cup titles, two world sprint championships, and one Olympic gold medal in his skating career.

In 1995 he established the Dan Jansen Foundation, which offered assistance to those dealing with cancer and supported youth sports programs, among other activities.