Olympic speed skating champion Dan Jansen opened up about his legendary career from his North Carolina home, sharing memories of heartbreak, perseverance and finally achieving Olympic gold after years of disappointment.Jansen's Olympic journey began in 1984 when he made his first team at just 18 years old."I was the youngest in the entire competition. I was eighteen and made the team that year, and it was really my only goal. I had no medal dreams yet, but I came close. I finished fourth in the 500," Jansen said.Four years later in Calgary, Jansen entered as the favorite but faced unimaginable tragedy when his sister Jane passed away on the morning of his race."That was obviously the tough one, if my name became known. It was that year. My sister passed away the morning of my race, and I was favored. Then Jane passed that morning, I felt that night, and four days later, 1000 meters. I went through a lot of heartbreak in those couple of weeks in February of 1988," Jansen said.Watch: Olympic legend Dan Jansen reflects on heartbreak, triumph and the future of speed skating Dan Jansen talks Olympic struggles and gloryThe 1992 games brought more disappointment for the American speedskater."I think we made a bit of a mistake in training. We led off completely to try to taper and peak at the right time, and I don't think we kept the intensity, and I was just flat at the games. It really is when I look back its the one that I cringe at the most," Jansen said.But in the final Olympic race of his career at the 1994 Lillehammer Games, Jansen finally reached the top of the podium in the 1000-meter event."I crossed the line. I remember taking my hood off and looking up at the clock, kinda looking for my time, and I saw this big WR next to my time, which means world record. I finally skated to my potential at the Olympic Games," Jansen said.Today, Jansen sees similarities between himself and current world champion Jordan Stolz."I do see similarities. He's got a great feel for the ice. A natural feel for what allows speed. His last lap, which was my weakness it is his strength by far. If he's anywhere near the lead with a lap to go, he's gonna win the race," Jansen said.This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.Its about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for TMJ4 on your device.Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.Report a typo or error // Submit a news tip ...read more read less