O’Brien Halfway to Record in Decathlon

World decathlon champion Dan O’Brien was on a record pace Friday after the first day of a meet at Talence, France, just as he was in the U.S. Olympic trials at New Orleans before failing to clear a height in the pole vault, costing himself a place on the team.

O’Brien, 26, had 4,720 points after five events. Olympic champion Robert Zmelik of Czechoslovakia was second with 4,277.

O’Brien’s total was 46 points more than Britain’s Daley Thompson had achieved after five events when he went on to set his world record of 8,847 at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

“It is very difficult to forget New Orleans and missing Barcelona,” O’Brien said. “It puts extra pressure on me here. Beating the world record would not compare to being Olympic champion.”

O’Brien ran the 100 meters in 10.43 seconds, worth 992 points, then had personal bests in the long jump at 26 feet 6 1/4 inches (1,081) and the shotput at 54-9 1/2 (860). He high jumped 6-9 1/2 (868) but ran a disappointing 48.51 (885) in the 400 meters, well off his best of 46.53.

Today’s events are the 110-meter hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500 meters.