Winning the Gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 came through extreme dedication and sacrifice. One of his fellow contestants even remarked in a solo confessional to the camera how strange it was not to get a more detailed explanation. You gotta get up!. He wants to convince every college recruiter to give his kids a shot, and a head start on the rest of their lives. Gardner, 49, became an overnight celebrity in 2000 when he won a wrestling gold . Beating the 33-year-old Karelin wasn't something the 29-year-old farm boy, who didn't make his high . Due to the physical damage, a saw had to be used to remove his boots. Some of the advice is technical, some is motivational. After 16 weeks on the show, Gardner had lost 173 pounds! At one point during the conversation about The Biggest Loser, he whips out his phone and calls Moses Kinikini, a fellow contestant on that season. He was unable to repeat his 2000 performance, coming away with the Bronze medal, and after his match, he placed his shoes in the middle of the mat as a symbol of retirement from competitive wrestling. His win made him the only American to ever win both a World and Olympic title in Greco-Roman wrestling. For me, it was like, Theyre trusting me to train an Olympic champion? The Summer Olympics: Alexander Karelin., Harris, Martin. After several hours in his makeshift shelter, he stopped shivering and started having visions, which led him to believe that he was probably dying. As a result, all of Gardners Olympic memorabilia and some of his vehicles were auctioned off. He travelled over 9,000km to Japan to take on judo Olympic gold medallist Hidehiko Yoshida. While some of Rulons own wrestlers may essentially be over it, others in the arena are more starstruck by the presence of an all-time great. This Time, Rulon Gardner Survived Small Plane Crash . In 2005, Gardner published his autobiography (co-written by Bob Schaller), Never Stop Pushing: My Life from a Wyoming Farm to the Olympic Medals Stand, in which he describes his Greco-Roman wrestling career, his academic struggles (as someone who suffers from a learning disability) and an account of his near-death experience when stranded after a snowmobile accident. On December 31, 2004, Gardner fought Hidehiko Yoshida in a judo vs wrestling mixed martial arts (MMA) bout for the Pride Fighting Championships at an event named PRIDE Shockwave 2004. So when Rulon filed for bankruptcy and authorities collected his possession to be auctioned off, they couldnt touch the medal. Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship. I dont feel good about it. Rulon says he and Harper spoke in one of the shows vans for an hour and a half after he announced his exit. I didnt want to leave.. He had a toe amputated due to frostbite, but the ordeal did not derail his wrestling career. As a pro boxer, she identified with his wrestler mentality. He outlasted 15 contestants and shed 173 pounds, looking notably trimmer and more fit at 301 in his last official weight check. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. He hopes now that the high school season is over, he can refocus on himself. [5], In 2012, Gardner and his wife Kami filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in a Salt Lake City Federal court, with $2.9 million in liabilities. Now, his dark gray, short-sleeve button-down shirt dangles over his belly and hangs out in front of him, unlike the singlets that cling to his body in both the poster and on the book cover. It may not always be easy, but Rulon has no plans to quit. [6], After the Athens Olympics, Gardner gained 210 pounds, culminating in a total body weight of 474 pounds. Rulon Gardner of Star Valley, Wyo.,defeats Russia Aleksandr Karelin to win the gold medal in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. At points, there were times I thought, You know what, just give up. The arena at Utah Valley University is set up with eight wrestling mats in two rows of four. he missed his wife, he had . Rulon is wearing the same short-sleeved, button-down shirt from the speech in New Jersey. Thats the experienceand the last time most people have seen him on the public stagehe says is most misunderstood. Three years later he walked away from a plane crash into Lake Powell with only a minor hip injury and a concussion. ], Cara Castronuova was a trainer on the show for only one season, which happened to be Rulons. I learned how to count calories. But behind the scenes, he says it was miserable. (Billy. Back down from the podium, Herrimans state champions pose in every combination for their own photos, iPhone camera rolls filling up with teammates, parents, siblings and coaches in various groupings. That's all because of Rulon, right there, he said. But thats how the story has always gone. He jokes that it took him too long to figure one con that was pulled on him repeatedly: Organizations would make up some award to give him, largely as an excuse to get him to show up for free for an event to which they could sell tickets. So, how much is Rulon Gardner worth at the age of 51 years old? Gardner put out statements after the episode aired, too, saying hed achieved his goal and was ready to go home to his wife. Sports Illustrated is here! he tells him. He tells them to be smart and in control, and that they should wear their opponents down and tire them out since theyre both better conditioned. With the video paused, Gardner meanders through one of the most improbable sporting stories ever, about a kid who grew up milking cows on a Wyoming farm. Ryan Thorburn is a sports writer at the Boulder (Colo.) Camera with a degree in journalism from the University of Wyoming. He talks to every single person that wants to talk to him, and hell sign an autograph for anybody, his assistant coach, Martinez, says. Today Im not the person I want to bethe person I should be, he continues. Everyone is focused, with the pressure of lifelong individual dreams, team titles and possibly college scholarships on the line. Its Day 2 of the state tourney. Speaking to TMZ, he said: "I still wanna give more back to the sport, the sport that I love, and that's wrestling. It is the latest foray in a string of jobs that includes owning a gym, driving a forklift and working as a medical device rep for Johnson & Johnson, which is when he put many of those miles on the Beetle. Thats why people dont know the full story. The sun is starting to set. He said, Ill call you tomorrow, Rulon says. Four years later, Gardner was the last big man standing in Sydney. Finally, its time. FORMER OLYMPIC star Rulon Gardner opened up over hitting rock-bottom that included spiralling debts of 3million. They look at the picture and Rulon says, Now you tell them, if you dont hit your numbers this month, you know whos coming around. High school wrestling coaches ask Rulon to look into their camera phones and deliver motivational speeches for their teams. He's a gem! Its an interesting twist, being both the new guy and the celebrity. Just quit. Im like, no, Im not gonna quit. DETAILS BELOW Rulon Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is famous for being wrestler. Gardner's snowmobile wreck made a lasting impression on him: He reflects on it frequently, and it has cost him feeling in his feet. Not sure how to react to his amazing triumph, Gardner did a cartwheel, a somersault and then a victory lap wrapped in the Stars & Stripes. It sounds like a script the Rocky IV writers came up with: An invincible Goliath from Siberia nicknamed "The Experiment" arrives at the Olympic Village packing a 13-year winning streak. He and his first wife Sheri lost their daughter, Stacey in a terrible car accident on December 26, 1990. Maybe it confused him. Accessed Jan. 5, 2013 at, The photo of Gardner on his victory lap after winning a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, is from, Casper Chapter, Wyoming Archaeological Society, June Frison chapter, Wyoming Archeological Society. These are always fun crowds, Gardner says quietly. Gardner decided to pursue his Olympic dreams instead, but a staph infection prevented him from going to the 1996 Games in Atlanta, where Karelin barely broke a sweat in winning his third gold medal. Rulon gave him the medal as collateral, and they made a deal that hed hold onto Rulons prized possession until he could pay the debt. He is looking almost straight up at the flag, at attention. You want me to come give a speech? He was an All-State selection in both football and wrestling, and was also the 1989 Wyoming wrestling state heavyweight champion. This time Gardner stayed upright, and the two massive men danced chest-to-chest through a scoreless three-minute first period. How much does he weigh now? He jumped anyway. Gardner has a little car and a little traveling companion: Gus. But he also knows hes Rulon Gardner. Not during the night on the mountain waiting for a rescue helicopter to spot him, or the grueling recovery from frostbite and hypothermia. While at Nebraska, Gardner finished fourth in the 275lb. Rulon Gardner is living a quiet life, just the way he likes it. "The gold medal was so far away from what I thought I could do in my life. He got married in October 2020, has lost around 50lbs (22.5kg) in weight, and recently moved to St. George, Utah, where he hopes to start a youth wrestling training centre. You see people that do amazing things, Rulon said, and they sit back and they think that theyre just gonna keep succeeding because of that. But he knows its not always that easy. Rulon Gardner has almost died quite a few times in his 39 yearsjust how many is open to interpretation. They drop $20 bills on the table for books with personalized inscriptions. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. He talks about his Seven Steps to Success, which are outlined in his autobiography. She also appreciated his respect for her as a woman, saying it can sometimes be tough for her to earn the trust and respect of male clients, but that wasnt the case with Rulon. Gardner, 49, became an overnight celebrity in 2000 when he won a wrestling gold medal at the Sydney Olympics defeating the legendary Aleksandr Karelin. He attributes his strength to the physical labor that he performed growing up and working on the family's dairy farm.[4]. He was rescued the next morning, but hypothermia and frostbite meant that he lost a toe. Against harrowing odds, Rulon emerged as the victor. Rulon participated in this from six years old until he started junior high school at 12 years old. Theres just one catch: He has so many autographed items, he doesnt know who signed many of them. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. Since then, Rulon has faced multiple life-threatening situations and survived every one through sheer grit and an absolute refusal to quit. His word carries sway and people love to talk. ATHENS - It doesn't matter what Rulon Gardner does in these Olympics, or for the rest of his life, because he will forever be attached to the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 27, 2000, the Rulons achievements in the program were nothing short of astonishing. Hes picked up yet another job, as an ambassador and spokesman for an app that helps promote workplace safety for construction sites and other heavy industry jobs. Thankfully, Rulon's mom and dad were always telling him that with prayer and persistence he could find the strength to do anything. His headgear is on, his knee pad is up and his warmup outfit is cast aside, as hes down to just his singlet. In the second period, Traycee connects on a headlock and sends his opponent to his back. Keep going. His boss at the insurance company has even told him he can carve out time during the day to work out if thats what he needs. Rulon is owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in restitution and he gets $50 a monthenough for about a tank and a half of gas in his Beetle. On February 24, 2007, Gardner and two other men survived a crash when a light aircraft he was traveling in crashed into Lake Powell, Utah. Gardner took the tests required to get his insurance license in 2018. He turns the corner and ditches the Velcro brace on his right wrist. He didn't even start wrestling until his freshman year of high school and became a state champ his senior year. All three men in the plan swam for an hour in seven degree-water to reach the shore and spent the night without shelter, but no life-threatening injuries were sustained. [7] Gardner shocked the trainers, staff, and contestants on the April 26 episode by announcing he would be leaving the show "for personal reasons", and left the show without a final weigh-in. He now says it wasnt true. 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