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Olympics: Decathlete Zach Ziemek proud to represent UW, has lofty goals for Rio

The line sounds like a political candidate approving a campaign advertisement.

“I’m Zach Ziemek,” the towering figure says one afternoon at the University of Wisconsin throws complex. “I’m a normal kid that’s just trying to make goals and dreams come true.”

Ziemek, by an average person’s standards, is not “normal.” The former UW track and field star stands a lean, cut 6-foot-3, the perfect body for a decathlete. And he’s well on his way to achieving his dreams.

Ziemek, who graduated from UW in May, will represent Team USA in the decathlon at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeirro.