Dan Jansen

High school

West Allis Nathan Hale High School

Dan Jansen was born in West Allis, Wisconsin, into a large speed skating family — six of his nine siblings were competitive skaters. His story became one of the most emotionally powerful in Olympic history. At the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, hours before his 500m race, Jansen received word that his sister Jane — who had leukemia — had died. He fell in both his events. Four years later in Albertville he fell again. Four more years in Lillehammer in 1994, on his final Olympic attempt — on the very day his daughter Jane was born, named for his late sister — Jansen slipped in the 500m. But then, in his farewell race, the 1,000m — not even his best distance — Jansen skated to a world record and gold medal. His victory lap holding his daughter Jane on the ice is one of the most iconic images in Olympic history. He was inducted into the U.S. Speedskating Hall of Fame and remains one of the most beloved athletes in Wisconsin sports history.