By Craig Marx, Editor

Dr.  Curt Draeger, a local chiropractor and owner of Integrated Pain Solutions in Antigo and Green Bay, will be off on the road to Rio soon, helping U.S. decathletes stay loose on their quest to bring home the gold from Brazil. Leaving August 11, the decathlon will be held Aug. 17-18 and marks Dr. Draeger’s fourth Olympic endeavor.

Draeger has been working with Olympians ever since being chosen as one of two team consultants out of 40 chiropractors selected nationwide for the 2004 games in Athens.

“That was amazing to travel to Greece. All the history right there with the Olympic Games themselves is great,” Dr. Draeger said.

Draeger will be working with the talents of former gold medalist Ashton Eaton, along with qualifiers Jeremy Taiwo and in-state UW-Madison representative Zach Ziemek. The esteemed chiropractor assists his athletes both on the road and at his expansive facility north of Phlox, Wisc., where the Olympians generally visit twice a year and have the opportunity to partake in the activities of Northern Wisconsin.

Eaton is one of the favorites in this year’s decathlon event and has worked with Draeger in the past. The Antigo-area chiropractor was at the finish line when Eaton broke the world record at the 2012 Olympics in London.

The decathlon is a gauntlet of ten separate events, including a 100 meter dash, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400 meter run, 110 meter hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw, and lastly a 1500 meter run for good measure.

“With ten different events, it is very challenging. It is such a technical sport,” Draeger added. “It is an honor to take part in – it’s like a dream come true. I get to work with the best athletes in the world and try and help them to win.”