Daniel Erwin Jansen (born June 17, 1965) is a retired American speed skater.

In the early hours of February 14, the day of the 500-meter event, Jansen was informed that his 27-year-old sister, Mrs. Jane Marie Beres, was dying of leukemia.

Jansen defied expectations and finished first, winning his first and only Olympic medal of his career, while setting a new world record in the process.

He received the 1994 James E. Sullivan Award and was chosen by his fellow Olympians to bear the U.S. flag at the closing ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics.

Jansen has two daughters, Jane (named after his sister) and Olivia, from his marriage to first wife Robin Wicker.

[10][11] In memory of his sister Jane, he established the Dan Jansen Foundation with the purpose of fighting leukemia.