At the 1988 Winter Olympics, speedskater Dan Jansen learned just five hours before his 500-meter race that his sister Jane had died of leukemia. He skated anyway and fell. Four days later he fell again in the 1,000. In 1992 he came up short again. In 1994 he slipped in the 500 and finished eighth, and he admitted, “Maybe it’s not meant to be.” But he vowed not to quit. In his final Olympic race, the 1,000 meters, he won gold in a world record time. Then he took a victory lap carrying his baby daughter, whose name was Jane. Disappointment is not the end of the story for those who keep going.
