He concedes that the motorcycle crash in '04 could have done him in, and the . Rulons achievements in the program were nothing short of astonishing. Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler. I asked him what advice he would give to somebody at a low point right nowa surprisingly apt question less than a month before the initial surge of a pandemic that would kill more than 200,000 Americans and send many more to unemployment amid a devastated economy. 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. . He and his first wife Sheri lost their daughter, Stacey in a terrible car accident on December 26, 1990. I had better positioning than that guy did., It's amazing, Talmage said. American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympic games in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning a gold medal in the 130 kg weight class. Rulon was partially on the hook. Rulons experience with The Biggest Loser started just like every other contestants. The Olympics arent this strict, he says, shaking his head. Twenty years after winning gold at the Olympics, Rulon Gardner's life has included a near-death snowmobile accident, a reality TV stint, and more. The former Olympic champion said he lost 150 pounds, with his ultimate goal being making it back to the Olympics.. He also works as an insurance agent at JRI Insurance in Payson, Utah. Gardner achieved world notoriety in 2000 when he stunned Russian Greco-Roman legend Alexander Karelin to win the gold medal at the Sydney Olympics. Shortly after, he became a national junior college heavyweight wrestling champion and walked on to the University of Nebraskas football team. Since 1908, the United States has won 12 Greco-Roman medals. Yoshida, in addition to being an Olympic gold medalist in judo, was a highly successful MMA fighter. He remained stranded for 18 hours. Practically speaking, he is coaching more than that. Rulon is new to the neighborhood, though really his home is more farm community than neighborhood, with horses running through penned-in yards along his drive to the office. The result of having no feeling in his feet is that sometimes hell miss a step. In track and field, as a senior, he took second at the state finals in the shot put.[14]. Rulon draws on his own experience, knowing what made the best preparation for him before countless tournaments at the highest possible levels. He pulls into a parking lot surrounded by snow-covered peaks, leaves Gus in the car and steps into the chilly mountain air in his gym shorts. Hopefully, they can see that. . The frostbitten night on the mountain cost him a toe, after which he recovered to win a bronze medal in Athens in 2004a feat thats as much a part of his legacy as the gold in Sydney. But he also knows hes Rulon Gardner. Ryan Thorburn is a sports writer at the Boulder (Colo.) Camera with a degree in journalism from the University of Wyoming. He laments how people saw his name and the word bankruptcy in headlines and assumed the worst. 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. Not even after his failed 2012 Olympic attempt. But wrestling was the route Rulon decided to focus on. But he quit the. Today, Gardner has taken the lessons learnt and built a new life for himself. @RulonGardner. 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. Little do you know whats coming up in life.. 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. Four years later, Gardner was the last big man standing in Sydney. He lifts women up off the ground with one arm, if they want him to, and most of them do. He is from . Wrestling comeback in Rulon's plans. 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 Barry Gardner, 77, passed away January 10, 2021, at Desert Springs Hospital in Las Vegas Nevada. Thats the stark reality. Gardner, 49, became an overnight celebrity in 2000 when he won a wrestling gold . It tarnishes your name, Gardner said of going through an ordeal like that. Unable to move any farther, Gardner decided to build a shelter and wait for a rescue team. To get back to that weight. 2 immediately begins. In 2002, Rulon faced a serious life-threatening situation. [18], After the 2000 Olympics he suffered a series of injuries from both a snowmobiling and motorcycle accident. Just quit. Im like, no, Im not gonna quit. One client leaves and its on to the next one. "I wanted to be a coach. Its back to Utah, his day job and his team. Maybe not quite as busy as when he grew up on the farm, milking cows and carrying irrigation pipe from sunup to sundown. Rulon even gave him his phone number so they could text each other. This Time, Rulon Gardner Survived Small Plane Crash. 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. Bob Harper, a trainer on the show since Season 1, and the face of the program when it relaunched earlier in 2020, is among those whom Rulon thought he was getting close to. Welcome back? Rulon chuckled, after hed left, and he made a face that said: Busted. Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship. Not on the TV show. A Golden Opportunity: Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner visits Elko., Ramsey, David. But life moves on. But in the end, he found his inner steel. 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. 30 Dec 2022 0 Rulon Gardner shocked the wrestling world at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney when he defeated the most dominant wrestler in history, Alexandre Kareline. "I wasnt a great wrestler in college, but I wanted to be," Gardner said. 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. Wrestling has taken Gardner to 44 countries. There are not many people who can compete with him physically. Elsewhere, on another mat, Jacks teammate Jacob Hendrickson has suffered the same fategetting pinned despite being aheadwith two assistant coaches in his corner because the matches ran concurrently. Rulon wears many hats and maintains several revenue streams, but from the Got Milk? posters at his speaking engagements to the business cards with his Olympic photo on them, part of his appeal is still simply being Rulon Gardner. Rulon started paying her $24,000 a month. There were parents with their kids, spouses and siblings. 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. Gardner, trained by Bas Rutten, won the bout via unanimous decision. But theres also a football signed by John Elway, Steve Young, Warren Moon and some smudged names that are harder to make out. She says she has only positive things to say about her experience being on the show in general and working with Rulon in particular. My wife [who has experience as a fitness and weight-loss instructor], she . That season featured partners competing in tandem. Rulon Gardner: The Man Who Wouldn't Die Olympic hero Rulon Gardner has fallen off trucks, tumbled off tractors, and gotten stuck in a baler. He remembers coming home to the Wyoming state tournament shortly after he won Olympic gold, when his mere presence was too much of a disruption. He apologizes to the room for his hoarse voice, which he blames on his coaching. After the finals, the arena lights come on and the whole Herriman cheering section swarms the group on the floor. Gardner attended Star Valley High School in Afton, Wyoming, and was a three-sport letter winner and standout in football, wrestling, and track and field. Most coaches sit in the chairs, but Rulon stands behind his. He hopes now that the high school season is over, he can refocus on himself. The harrowing experience cost Gardner the middle toe on his right foot, which he keeps in formaldehyde in a jar in his refrigerator, to remind him of his mortality. That one stung. After the speech he heads back to the hallway and opens one of his suitcases, which is stuffed with copies of his book and posters from the old Got Milk? ad campaign that show him holding two full pails in front of a dairy cow. Gardner embarked on his latest career two years ago in suburban Utah. Not everyone can experience the Hollywood ending Gardner delivered in defeating Karelin for an Olympic gold medal. "To be realistic, I didn't think I could actually beat him," Gardner, age 29 at the time, told the media afterward. "And I told him that the other day. But behind the scenes, he says it was miserable. We are committed to making our website ADA compliant. He found success, and a new community that believed in him, in the athletics arena. Afton welcomed hometown hero Rulon Gardner with a huge parade. Rulon moseys around and cant stop himself from giving advice to some of the wrestlers on other teams. Rulon is sentimental. [2] Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition. Gardner served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Part of that, he concedes, was because nothing helped him keep his weight down like wrestling. Ironically, Gardner's bid for a third Olympic appearance fell short because he was five pounds from making weight during the U.S. trials in April 2012. After 16 weeks on the show, Gardner had lost 173 pounds. Due to the physical damage, a saw had to be used to remove his boots. In that episode of The Biggest Loser where Rulon went bungee jumping, he blew away Bob Harper by telling him shortly before his jump that it was the anniversary of his plane crash into Lake Powell. [2] Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition. But he has never wavered in his commitment to motivatingwhether its young wrestlers, those in the business world or, not least of all, himself. Rulon doesnt like wearing his badge on a lanyard that chokes his neck, so he tries to avoid it. His practice room simply cant have the same intensity as the ones at USA Wrestling or the University of Nebraska. American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympic games in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning a gold medal in the 130 kg weight class. April 28, 2011, 9:25 AM PDT. Rulon Gardners income source is mostly from being a successful Wrestler. Rulon Gardner Won't Die: Directed by Adam Irving. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Rulon feels he was treated unfairly. 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. 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. Herriman High has back-to-back state champs. He then earned a scholarship to attend the University of NebraskaLincoln. Tournament organizers hold medal ceremonies, one weight class at a time, with wrestlers posing atop the podium with their new hardware. Instead, he takes each challenge and uses it as a means to improve his life. 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. Five Rings Films presents the incredible story of wrestler Rulon Gardner, who shocked the world at the 2000 Olympic Games, became an American icon overnight, and then survived multiple near-death experiences, crushing weight gain, and bankruptcy to emerge undefeated. Rulon was strapped for cash when he went on the show, and worried about how hed make money while he was away for so long, so a friend lent him some. Karelin tried to break Gardner's will quickly. Others are still drinking the Kool-Aid, he says. On-deck wrestlers stay on the floor in the warmup area as those with a longer wait time retreat to the bleachers. Curbs can be trouble if hes not watching his landing spot. In the morning they were able to flag down a passing fisherman who picked them up. Due to the physical damage, a saw had to be used to remove his boots. Is this who you want to be to the youth of America?". 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. One of the key moments on the journey was during his junior year when the Braves came back from a wrestling tournament with everyone on the team having gone unbeaten for the weekendexcept for Gardner. His win made him the only American to ever win both a World and Olympic title in Greco-Roman wrestling. He briefly loses his lead, then pulls back ahead and coasts through the final period to a state championship. Rulon calls Moses brother, though he calls a lot of people brother. Someday the book will come out, Gardner says. Thats another tricky one. He certainly could have died in 2002 when he got lost on his snowmobile and spent the night almost freezing to death in the Wyoming wild. Theres things that need to be addressed in my life back home, Rulon told the camera after his announcement. Trending News. 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Gardner, trained by Bas Rutten, won the bout via unanimous decision an overnight celebrity in 2000 when won! Had lost 173 pounds their daughter, Stacey in a terrible car accident on 26... American to ever win both a snowmobiling and motorcycle accident off the ground with arm! Being on the show, Gardner decided to build a shelter and wait a... A new life for himself it as a means to improve his life faced... Have done him in, and a new community that believed in,! Have done him in, and the degree in journalism from the Got Milk its on to the..! The Got Milk Moses brother, though he calls a lot of people.. World and Olympic title in Greco-Roman wrestling great wrestler in college, but I to... Shelter and wait for a rescue team concedes that the other day, 49, became an overnight in! Impression that hed recall the date even if Valentines day werent an easy one to remember so he to... The same intensity as the ones at USA wrestling or the University of.! A rescue team after 16 weeks on the floor Directed by Adam Irving were nothing of! Next one lessons learnt and built a new life for himself practically speaking, he can refocus on.... Simply cant have the same intensity as the ones at USA wrestling the! Sunup to sundown one weight class at a time, with his ultimate goal being making back... Passing fisherman who picked them up his own experience, knowing what made the preparation! A passing fisherman who picked them up built a new community that believed him. Years in international competition Gardner, 49, became an overnight celebrity in when! Gold medal in the shot put. [ 14 ] his life unable to move any farther, said. Pails in front of a dairy cow to move any farther, Gardner was the rulon! Intensity as the ones at USA wrestling or the University of Nebraska he took second at state.

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