SportsAugust 19, 1993

STUTTGART, Germany Dan O'Brien takes a major step toward re-establishing his world dominance in the decathlon today and Friday at the World Championships track and field meet.

Barring aggravation of minor ailments, O'Brien, the former University of Idaho athlete who still calls Moscow his home, is heavily favored to duplicate the world title he won at Toyko, Japan, in 1991.

The only decathlete who might claim superiority to him at the moment is Robert Zmelik, the young Czech who capitalized on O'Brien's no-height in the U.S. Olympic Trials pole vault last year to win the gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics.

Since then, O'Brien's quest for redemption has yielded a world-record performance at Talence, France; several mini-duel victories over Zmelik in the United States last winter; and a lopsided if physically painful triumph in the U.S. Championships at Eugene, Ore., in June.

Zmelik's coach, Edward Vozar, said several months ago that the Stuttgart meet will decide which athlete can consider himself the world's best.

''It's hard to tell,'' Vozar said when Zmelik visited Moscow for an indoor meet in February. ''Some people say Robert because he won the Olympic Games. Other people say Dan O'Brien because he's the holder of the world record. I think we can answer this after the outdoor World Championships.''

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O'Brien's succession of nagging injuries has prevented him from reaching peak condition, but his co-coach, Mike Keller, said they don't plan to take an especially conservative approach at this meet.

''I don't think you can ever be conservative in the decathlon,'' he said. ''We weren't conservative in Eugene. If he we get a 26-foot long jump it's a conservation thing we weigh the odds of an injury against the 10 points we might get with a longer jump. If we get a high mark in the jump events, we'll probably say, 'We're outta here,' based on the condition he's in now.''

The decathlon's first-day schedule, always O'Brien's better day, includes the 100-meter dash, the long jump, the shot put, the high jump and the 400-meter. Competition was scheduled to begin at 1 a.m. PDT and continue to about 3 p.m. today.

Friday's schedule includes the 110 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1,500.

The United States' hopes in the decathlon ride almost entirely on O'Brien. Dave Johnson, the 1992 U.S. Olympic Trials champion, is battling injuries and didn't enter the '93 U.S. Championships, the qualifying event for the Stuttgart meet. O'Brien's teammates are Steve Fritz and Rob Muzzio, neither of whom is listed among the 10 favorites.

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