Dave Johnson on Handling Adversity While Preparing for Olympics

July 2, 2020

In the 1992 Summer Olympics, the team of "Dan & Dave" was promoted as the inevitable winners in the decathlon and the question of who would take first and who would be second. Unfortunately, Dan failed to qualify for the team, leaving Dave as the presumed gold medal winner. Dave Johnson talks about what that pressure was like and how he handled it. 

Honoring Olympians and Paralympians from Oregon and Washington is presented by the area’s local Toyota dealers and produced by NBC Sports Northwest.  The series features personal athlete profiles highlighting various aspects of their lives and careers.

Athletes include

  • Long-distance runner and five-time Olympic medalist Galen Rupp

  • Decathlete and 1992 Olympic bronze medalist Dave Johnson 

  • Fencer and four-time Olympic medalist Mariel Zagunis

  • Sled hockey player and 2014 Paralympic gold medalist Rico Roman

  • Goalball player and two-time Paralympic medalist Jen Armbruster

Sponsored by

sports in this article
tags in this article