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He closes his eyes and puts a hand over his heart. Gardner stands behind him, hands on Jacks shoulders, imparting a few final words of wisdom as they wait for his mat assignment. He strolls past a crowd of high school girls, and none of them even turn their heads to notice him as his towering figure walks through the rows of narrow red lockers, and hangs a left toward the wrestling room. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. After retiring from his event by adding a bronze medal in the Athens 2004 Olympics, Rulon the wrecking ball Gardner accepted an invitation to compete in a professional mixed martial arts (MMA) bout. Many of the news headlines written about him since 2012 focused on his bankruptcy filing, the result of a fraud case, and a quest to recoup his gold medal, which he couldnt afford to bring back into his possession. Do you pay other people? Myself, right now, my biggest thing is my weight. Rulon signed up with his friend Justin Pope, a fellow wrestler (who beat Rulon in junior high) and long-time friend. She showed him real estate purchase agreements, contracts and more. The Olympic Channel original film will premiere digitally on Friday, 2 April 2021 on OlympicChannel.com and the official Olympic Channel apps for mobile and connected TV devices. He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's Aleksandr Karelin in the final. In doing so, he immediately captured the admiration of Americans, winning the gold medal in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history. [19], Gardner competed once in mixed martial arts, and in 2004 he became the host for a professional wrestling league called Real Pro Wrestling. However, she divorced him when he became involved with his first pluralist wife. There is one tangible positive in Rulons life as a direct result of his appearance on The Biggest Loser. No, not that match. Because it wasnt sitting in some rich collectors safe after an auction, it was just being held onto by an old friend waiting to be made whole. 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. There are rows of pull-up bars and headshots of wrestlers whove qualified for the Utah state tournament in years past. [23], 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. Former athlete goes broke is a common trope, oftentimes the result of overspending or falling down the wrong path. Even though it was one of the things that almost killed me, it was truly amazing. Someday those details may come out. I need to stop saying it and start doing it. Ultimately, his snowmobile became stuck between two large boulders. He has appeared at many corporate events, celebrity golf tournaments, trade shows, and conventions. They drop $20 bills on the table for books with personalized inscriptions. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece, Gardner was back on the big stage and brought back a bronze medal. There were parents with their kids, spouses and siblings. We have estimated "He had a great lock on me, and another three or four inches I would have let it slip," Gardner recalled in an ESPN.com story four years later. After Amputation, Motorcycle Accident And Plane Crash, Olympic Gold Medal Wrestler Rulon Gardner Now Faces Bankruptcy., Dahlberg, Tim. is 6 2 and Weight 265lbs. The two heavier weights point first to the technique they learned from him. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. His great-great-grandfather Archibald Gardner was a bishop in the church and helped build the famed Salt Lake Temple. Its the second week of February and Coach Gardnerhis kids just call him Rulonhas four high-schoolers in the Utah 6A State Championships. A friend introduced Rulon to their niece, who just needed a small loan to get more financing. From Allstate telling you to prepare for mayhem, to State Farm handling a series of calamities at Chris Pauls house to Farmers dealing with any nightmare scenario J.K. Simmons can conjure. Gardner was the first contestant ever to . Gardner is keeping busy in his late 40s. And he seems fine with the arrangement. But in the end, he found his inner steel. 10 of 10. And hes since gotten smarter about managing his finances and investments. And thats the story that he stuck to for nine years. Rulon draws on his own experience, knowing what made the best preparation for him before countless tournaments at the highest possible levels. That was just a small dumbbell shy of 500. He and Justin were the heaviest team on the ranch. He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's three-time reigning gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin in the final. Because I learned so much about myself. 2000 winning GR Gardner won 2001 World title to become 1st& still onlyback-to-back champ for. In November 2018, he and wife Kathleen Kennedy received the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, an . With such a large natural frame, Gardner struggled to control his weight after retiring from life as a professional sportsman. Thats the attitude hell never shake. Part of that, he concedes, was because nothing helped him keep his weight down like wrestling. He pulls a few aside individually and talks to them about being the ones wearing medals next year. Both lightweights who qualified for States credit Rulon for helping them with the mental aspect of the sport. On the posters, Rulon is frozen in time, even as those days move further in the rearview. In other ways, Rulon has a presence. He nearly died of hypothermia after suffering in the elements for 17 hours. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, Rulon continued his Olympic wrestling pursuit with full-time dedication. Rulon Gardner is crammed into the driver's seat of a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. He earned a football scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Rulon, in his life, has collected medals upon medals, each one from high school through college saved in Ziploc bags in his home to prove it. Thankfully, Rulon's mom and dad were always telling him that with prayer and persistence he could find the strength to do anything. Gardner won his cherished (and oft-photographed) gold by beating the seemingly unbeatable Karelin. This time Gardner stayed upright, and the two massive men danced chest-to-chest through a scoreless three-minute first period. He outlasted 15 contestants and shed 173 pounds, looking notably trimmer and more fit at 301 in his last official weight check. LOGAN Other than a short visit at Christmastime, Kamie Gardner hasn't seen her husband in six months and doesn't expect to see him again at least until April. Most Olympic champions will tell you that self-belief is key to being the best in the world. Sports Illustrated is here! he tells him. Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler. He did not appear on the final episode of the season, except in the background of scenes of other contestants. Nicole died due to complications from glioblastoma, a rare. His headgear is on, his knee pad is up and his warmup outfit is cast aside, as hes down to just his singlet. Instead, he takes each challenge and uses it as a means to improve his life. Gardner, who was also selected for all-state in football and took second in the shot put at the state track and field championships, won the Wyoming high school heavyweight championship in 1988 when he defeated Newcastle's Jerry Stanton in the title match and in 1989 when he defeated Buffalo's Travis Studie in the title match. He leans against the metal barricade, right next to the folded-up wall of lower level seats that can extend to cover the floor. He says that hearing the anthem play, especially in a gym full of wrestlers, always takes him back to that moment atop the podium in Sydneywith Rulon on the top step, and the Russian Bear, incredibly, below. But hes been working with a new trainer and says hes dropped almost 40 pounds since late last winter when the high school wrestling season ended. The astonishing true story of Rulon Gardner, a dairy farmer from Wyoming who shocked the world at the Sydney Olympics, overcoming 2000 to 1 odds by defeating a Russian wrestler who hadn't lost a single match in 13 years. He also takes pride in the fact that even if he wouldnt have ultimately taken his old practice partner Dremiel Byerss spot on the 12 Olympic team, at least he made everyone in the room work a little harder. She says she has only positive things to say about her experience being on the show in general and working with Rulon in particular. The museum is located at 138 S. Washington in Afton. With the crowd now engaged and rooting the long shot on with "USA!" As he weaves around trucks, zipping up I-15 North through Provo, Utah, he may be the biggest human on the highway, packed into one of the tiniest vehicles. But he estimates his weight is about where he started on Loser. He then earned a football scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. A Project of the Wyoming Historical Society. [8], When Gardner was in elementary school, he was injured during a class show-and-tell, when his abdomen was punctured with an arrow.[9]. He briefly loses his lead, then pulls back ahead and coasts through the final period to a state championship. Not everyone can experience the Hollywood ending Gardner delivered in defeating Karelin for an Olympic gold medal. But the idea of himof Rulon Gardnerbeing a quitter, that one hes ready to put to bed. He walks around the perimeter of the room, shoes off, thick white socks resting below his tree-trunk calves, and watches his kids spar. Now its like, O.K., lets be smart about any decisions in the future, he said. [6], After the Athens Olympics, Gardner gained 210 pounds, culminating in a total body weight of 474 pounds. "And I told him that the other day. The background on his phone is a picture of Byers, still in his singlet, right after Rulon beat him at the U.S. trials for his spot on the 2004 Olympic team. American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympic games in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning a gold medal in the 130 kg weight class. 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. A potential new client comes in for what Rulon calls a one-on-one. Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship. Rulon Gardner in 2003 AP A learning disability earned Gardner the nickname "Dumbo." The 125-pound fourth-grader was also called "Fatso." As a senior at Star Valley High School, he won a state. Getting healthy and keeping the weight down. While the COVID-19 pandemic has shut down life for so many in the country, Rulon has kept moving. Rulon has never dwelled on the negatives in his life. Contact us at editor@wyohistory.org for information on levels and types of available sponsorships. 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. He attributes his strength to the physical labor that he performed growing up and working on the family's dairy farm.[4]. Rulon Gardner Wont Die Featuring Olympic Champion Wrestler, and Olympic Channel Original premieres June, 3 2020. After the speeches, assistant coach Rad Martinez gathers everyone in the center of the mat. As of 2011, Gardner worked as a motivational speaker, often appearing as a keynote presenter and event host. He tells everyone to put their hands in. Perhaps most importantly, in this whole arrangement, is that the company is accommodating of his schedule. 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. He is the son of Reed and Virginia Gardner and the last of nine children. Jack gets out to an early lead, but is pinned despite being ahead in points. The film immediately follows broadcast coverage of the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Trials ( full TV/stream schedule here ). 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 @TeamUSA. Rulon says he and Harper spoke in one of the shows vans for an hour and a half after he announced his exit. He's a gem! After the referee raised Gardner's arm as victor, the modern-day "Alexander the Great" walked off the mat for good, immediately retiring from the sport he had controlled for 15 years. Curbs can be trouble if hes not watching his landing spot. Gardner, who seems to have more lives than a cat, has also survived a motorcycle accident, a plane crash and bankruptcy since becoming an Olympic legend. Rulon doesnt follow. (He notes the irony, again, of him being a spokesman for safety.) Attendees stand in line for a minute of his attention. His first major accident happened when Gardner was in elementary school, and had his abdomen punctured by an arrow during a show and tell. May 31, 2020. He left this wife to pursue his career after he left her messed up from the accident. He has two lawyer friends in particular whom he talks to about business decisions. John Daley Reporting Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner heads to Boston today for a speaking engagement with a new story of survival to tell. The 49-year-old wrestler was born in . In 2011, he accepted an offer to appear on American reality TV show The Biggest Loser, in an attempt to shed some of his 474lbs (215kg). After reaching his competitive training weight, Rulon chose to leave the show in support of his wife and to begin the next chapter of his life. displays the regions early history. Rulon says it went beyond thatand that behind the scenes it was worse, that the people involved in making the show were manipulative, and gossip among contestants was rampant. Its a tragedy, Rulon said, fighting back tears as he stood shirtless, addressing his weight in the season premiere. They all smile as he pulls them in tight. I found it to be really awesome that he was so down to put his trust in a female thats a quarter of his size and let me teach him boxing form, and that he took me seriously.. Rulon wrestled his brother Reynold to break up the monotony. Today, Gardner owns and operates the Rulon Gardner Elite Training Center in Logan, Utah, with his wife of two years, Kamie. Since turning his life around financially, hes been able to reclaim most of it, and today is able to show his hard-won Olympic medals to his students. Nobody bats an eye as the wrestler shoves gauze up his nostril and his practice partner sprays the mat down with disinfectant. His practice room simply cant have the same intensity as the ones at USA Wrestling or the University of Nebraska. Gardner, 40, the 2000 Olympic gold medalist, had been training for a comeback since losing nearly 200 pounds on the NBC reality television show, "The Biggest Loser." It was one of the coolest experiences of my life, he says. CEDAR CITY Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner took to the podium at a recent luncheon hosted by Cedar City's Chamber of Commerce Thursday to share how he became a champion and survivor. And thats positive.. He didn't even start wrestling until his freshman year of high school and became a state champ his senior year. Rulon stands and leans against her desk, hovering above a speakerphone, mindlessly clicking his pen as they discuss auto insurance quotes for a father who wants to buy a car for a teenage son whos already been in a fender bender. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. In 2004, he won a bronze medal at the Olympics. He already had a relationship with NBC, working as a TV commentator for the networks coverage of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Oh. I probably would have lost the medal for good if I hadnt gone on the show, Rulon said. The 6-foot-3, 286-pound wrestler attempted to throw the underdog repeatedly, as Karelin had done during a 5-0 victory over Gardner in their only previous meeting three years earlier. His family were also a key part of the Mormon community. Each mat is set up the same. He has awards, trophies and plaques, plus T-shirts signed by fellow Olympians. He talks to the state qualifiers about visualizing their day. Rulon says hes still willing to go out of his way for people he trusts, but he cant fulfill every request. His other post-Olympic claim to fame is that in April 2011, Gardner became the first contestant ever to quit NBCs hit weight-loss reality show The Biggest Loser. Practically speaking, he is coaching more than that. Hes dealing with coaches, parents andfor the first time this yearcollege recruiters. At the 2000 Olympics, Wyoming native Rulon Gardner shattered global expectations on the wrestling mat. After that its club season until April, followed by tournaments and clinics through the summer, not to mention occasional speaking engagements across the country. If it was an 8-0 tech in the first period then sure but maybe he . You want me to come give a speech? Since 1908, the United States has won 12 Greco-Roman medals. Search Southern Utah Properties. He was on The Biggest Loser, hosted by Jillian Michaels. Several investments, including developing a hot springs resort and opening a gym, meant he owed around $3 million. On a bitter cold night in February 2002, on mountain slopes above Star Valley, Gardner got separated from some snowmobiling friends and stranded his machine in deep snow. Re: Rulon Gardner dated my daughter's roommate His first wife was pregnant with the baby daughter when they were in the car accident. The men swam an hour in 44F (7C) water to reach shore, and then spent the night without shelter. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. He says some, many of whom gain back considerable weight after they leave the show, feel the experience ruined their lives. He is famous for being a Wrestler. The short version, Rulon says, is that he was presented an opportunity to invest in a real estate venture in 2006. Gardner's goal is to get near the weight at which he competed. That all changed when Gardner, the youngest of nine children in a Wyoming farming family, captured the first international title of his life by defeating Karelin 1-0 to win gold and make himself an overnight star in the U.S. in the process. Rulon Gardner is crammed into the drivers seat of a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. Gardner became famous as a Wyoming farm boy, but his Mormon family has ties back to Utah for generations. Just quit. Im like, no, Im not gonna quit. There was an incident in New Zealand, when contestants had just returned to the show after a holiday break, and he needed a chiropractor. Rulon's wrestling career began when he was six years old. Keep going. 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. But I got the point.". His coworker at JRI, Lydia Woltjen, jokes that shes sure to wear a seatbelt when Rulon is driving. The specifics, he says, he really cant get into. None of the three sustained life-threatening injuries. Rulons wrestling career began when he was six years old. There are two Patriots balls, one with the Super Bowl XXXVIII logo and one with signatures from a bunch of players. His goal is to get back to his wrestling weight of 265lbs (120kg). It would hurt Rulons reputation if he oversold one of his athletes and they didnt back up his praise. But wrestling was the route Rulon decided to focus on. Today Im not the person I want to bethe person I should be, he continues. 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. He attended both Ricks and Nebraska on wrestling scholarships. Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho, and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship. Rulon Gardner Won't Die: Directed by Adam Irving. You gotta get up!. As yesterdays scene repeats, with wrestlers from various schools swarming the mats to get loose, Herrimans two heavier weights are nowhere to be seen. These injuries included an amputated toe and a dislocated wrist, but he still went on to win the U.S. Olympic trials for his weight class and then to compete in the 2004 Summer Olympics. Who Is Rulon Gardner's Wife? He concedes that the motorcycle crash in '04 could have done him in, and the . He was raised on a dairy farm in Wyoming, where the family grew crops and milked cows twice a day. He says one day he took a trash can up to the curb, nobody ever came to pick it up, and two days later a neighbor dragged it back in. Someday the book will come out, Gardner says. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Gardner is a thrill-seeker, and later on that year was involved in a motorcycle accident. I try to use it to inspire and get kids motivated to come out for wrestling for us., When he looks back with 20 years of hindsight on the match that first made him a household name, he draws inspiration from Karelin. Instead, he takes each challenge and uses it as a means to improve his life. But Gardner certainly isnt most athletes, and approached his Olympic final believing that second-place would be a satisfactory achievement. He is looking almost straight up at the flag, at attention. He also has licensing deals, as well as print and television endorsements. But the shaved head and approachable demeanor remain. You may have heard of me He obliges every request until hes the last one in the room, packs up his suitcase with his unsold merchandise and heads out the door. Before the 2004 Olympic Trials he was in a motorcycle accident and then dislocated his right wrist punching the bleachers after losing his cool during a pickup basketball game. In January 2011, he was announced as a contestant on season 11 of the American reality television show, The Biggest Loser. Rulon says one of the images that stands out from that day was in the final second of the match, when both wrestlers knew it was over. And I knew I was doing it because I love it.". He wont have as many days where he works from 8 a.m. until after-school practice and then gets home at 9 p.m. without having worked out himself. usurped legendary 3x Olympic & 9x World champion Karelin . On this very trip, he was disappointed because he would have liked to go to the famed Carnegie Deli, whose main restaurant in Manhattan closed in 2016 after nearly 80 years. Its more of a one-on-two. Through it all, though, he says hes still glad he went on the show. He laments how people saw his name and the word bankruptcy in headlines and assumed the worst. That led to a scholarship at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho (now Brigham Young University-Idaho), where Gardner won a junior college national title. 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. He is 48 now, sells insurance and has a second job coaching wrestling at a Salt Lake City-area high school. The American became an overnight sensation back home after the miracle on the mat, but soon found himself struggling with stardom, and battling to save his career after a life-threatening accident. 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. 4 In 2002, Rulon faced a serious life-threatening situation. But he also knows he cant risk pushing them away. Rulon is walking carefully. "But I always wrestle kind of unorthodox, and our feet got tangled and I got under him. One of his lightweights catches an elbow in the wrong spot and blood pours from his nose, seeping into his warm-up shirt and splattering on the crowded mat. Im not gonna just sit down and take whatever happens.. Gardner put out statements after the episode aired, too, saying hed achieved his goal and was ready to go home to his wife. He has a torch from the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, which he got to carry right before his snowmobile accident. Three years later he walked away from a plane crash into Lake Powell with only a minor hip injury and a concussion. After the ref raises his opponents arm, Rulon picks up his sweaty T-shirt and shorts off the mat and carries them back to the warmup area. His next close shave came in 2007, when he survived a crash in a light aircraft. Tournament organizers hold medal ceremonies, one weight class at a time, with wrestlers posing atop the podium with their new hardware. 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. He has a tradition every year on the anniversary where he watches the time pass and reflects on what he was doing, hour-by-hour, on that fateful night. My mom said, Is this the kid that I raised? Its back to Utah, his day job and his team. Hell be standing there, then suddenly, and violently, whip his neck sideways and then whip it back in the other direction, a tic that offers temporary relief. With Bob Costas, Katie Couric, Rulon Gardner, Philip Hersh. He played the part. The men swam an hour in 44F (7C) water to reach shore, and then spent the night without shelter. Thats his daily motivation. She used that money to get a loan for $1.2 million, which later had to be repaid with substantial interest and late fees. Since then, Rulon has faced multiple life-threatening situations and survived every one through sheer grit and an absolute refusal to quit. [16] He attended both Ricks and Nebraska on wrestling scholarships. In episode 16, he was bungee jumping over New Zealands Milford Sound, espousing the importance of winning immunity to remain on the show. JRI insurance has a branch in Payson, 60 miles south of Salt Lake City, about a 50-minute drive south of Herriman High. Some would see this as good coachingthat when you have someone you know can be pushed as hard as Rulon, its your job as a trainer to push them. They clear the floor and the jumbotron hanging from the ceiling lists which bouts will begin on which mats. Here comes Traycee, running in to compete on the same mat. Rulon started paying her $24,000 a month. Rulons achievements in the program were nothing short of astonishing. 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. He wont say. He and his first wife Sheri lost their daughter, Stacey in a terrible car accident on December 26, 1990. The Herriman High wrestling room has one regulation-sized circle, and the dark blue mat extends out to light blue padded walls. As hes unpacked boxes in his new home and found items he barely remembers receiving, some have made it to JRI. [24]. Karelin had been undefeated for 13 years, and had not given up a point in six years, prior to his loss in the gold medal match to Gardner. 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Start wrestling until his freshman year of high school Rulon in junior high ) and long-time.! ], after the Athens Olympics, Wyoming native Rulon Gardner, Philip Hersh his wrestling weight 265lbs..., when he was on the posters, Rulon Gardner won & # x27 ; 04 could have done in. Story of survival to tell the flag, at attention swam an hour in 44F ( 7C water. Many in the season premiere to compete on the Biggest Loser now engaged and rooting the long shot with! Into the driver & # x27 ; 04 could have done him in, and the last nine! Again, of him being a spokesman for safety. 2018, he was six years old organizers.

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