Decathlon Dave on His Own

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In 1984 Johnson headed south to enroll in Azusa Pacific University. There he developed his motivating conviction that he could be the best. "He told me that first year he could score with the best in the country," recalls Franson, who coached Olympic athletes in 1976, 1984 and 1988. "I thought that was crazy then, but a key to Dave's winning record is that he has always been able to visualize success. He has continued to stun everyone, me included."

At Azusa, Johnson's legendary workhorse regimen -- which involves up to eight hours of training each day, including multiple runs into the nearby mountains -- made him one of the most consistent decathletes in the world. Although he lacks the spectacular style and speed of some other decathletes, he developed into a second-day wonder. When most other athletes begin to tire in the last two events, the javelin and the 1,500-m race, Johnson has just hit his stride. In the past three months alone, Johnson has broken the world's second-day point-total record twice.

The casual family atmosphere at Azusa also gives Johnson peace of mind in the face of the twin pressures of training and public appearances. He is a regular at the school cafeteria, where he eats the meat-and-potatoes offerings. Last week he gave a pep talk to a group of 200 wide-eyed kids in which he described his own life as an example that if they worked hard enough, success was possible. After that, he met with the staff and faculty of Azusa and asked for their prayers that "I not get caught up in all this hype."

Coach Franson tries to make sure that does not happen, chiding his superstar every now and then for trying to park his huge black pickup truck in a restricted parking space. Franson also administers regular doses of perspective. "Athletics is kind of silly when you think about it," he says. "It's a question of who can run around a track faster." But Franson takes track extremely seriously; the soft-spoken coach has transformed his tiny college into a sports powerhouse. This year, besides Johnson, five of Franson's athletes will be competing in Barcelona.

Johnson hopes his success will allow him to reach people, like victims of the L.A. riots, who might not listen to a nonathlete. "I felt a little part of me die when all that was happening," Johnson says of the riots. "But if -- uh, when I come back here with a gold medal, maybe I can provide a positive impact for someone."

But even positive-thinking, clean-living Dave Johnson knows there is a gap between aiming for the gold and grasping it. His erstwhile rival O'Brien will be in Barcelona, not to inspire Johnson to greater performances but to comment on his results from a broadcasters' booth. Nor will Johnson be competing in a vacuum; there are other decathletes who have a solid shot at the top. Canadian Mike Smith, who finished second to O'Brien in last year's world championships, is the prime candidate. France's Christian Plaziat and Czechoslovakia's Robert Zmelik are also potential contenders.