A learning disability earned Gardner the nickname Dumbo. He shovelled their shit. Gardner previously faced the Russian at the ’97 World Championships, losing 5-0. Serena could then get her U.S. Open quarterfinal opponent, fellow mom Tsvetana Pironkova of Bulgaria, in the second round. He is 48 now, sells insurance and has a second job coaching wrestling at a Salt Lake City-area high school. He moved bales of hay. Rulon Gardner is living a quiet life, just the way he likes it. Rulon said, repeating a post-match question. Once I stopped wrestling, what do I do with that competitive fire? Gardner is the narrator, with comments from his former coach and journalists who covered his story. Perhaps his lowest point came when he filed for bankruptcy in 2012. When Gardner — who also won gold at the 2001 World Championships — retired from wrestling after winning bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Greece, the opportunities seemed endless. The bill approved Thursday proposes the USOPC provide $20 million to the center, which opened in 2017 and has the exclusive authority to respond to allegations of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within the USOPC and its affiliated governing bodies for individual sports. So, Gardner, 48, remained near Salt Lake City, where he became the wrestling coach at Herriman High School. So, what does that put me in the world? “I’d be in the OR and I’d have 12 sets of different instruments. Among classmates he was an object of ridicule for being overweight and having a learning disability that put him at a fifth-grade reading level when he graduated from high school. I was gonna go out there with a stiff neck and give my all.”. I knew every piece and how to use it. Not addressed in the documentary were Gardner’s Mormon faith and his four failed marriages. All times AEST (GMT +10). Adam Irving, the director, said he was 18 at the time of the 2000 Olympics and unfamiliar with Gardner’s story until he was approached about making the film. Is that your goal in life? Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler. The legend of Karelin is as large as the man himself: his baleful, spooky stare; how he was 15 pounds at birth; how he once carried a refrigerator up eight flights of stairs. Find out more about our policy and your choices, including how to opt-out. He rubbed elbows with Tiger Woods and Garth Brooks. 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Gardner — who wrote an autobiography and was an Olympic TV analyst — had already invested roughly $1 million into opening a gym when he co-signed a loan to develop a hot-spring resort near his hometown. It was time to move on. Winning gold was the start of a ride that began with the farm boy from Wyoming becoming an instant celebrity. Rulon Gardner, by his own admission, has not had an easy life. He made the rounds on the talk-show circuit, rubbed elbows with A-listers and amassed large sums of money thanks to endorsement deals. Top 50?” Gardner said. “It was competitive. Alexander Karelin, 33, is the greatest wrestler of all time. Almost 10 years after hitting rock bottom it’s taken to start climbing out of the hole. He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's Aleksandr Karelin in the final. “There are some things you don’t bring up.”. It’s not possible,” Gardner said. Pinch me," U.S. national team coach Dan Chandler said. Coco Gauff, the rising 16-year-old American, gets 2019 semifinalist Jo Konta of Great Britain in the first round in the same quarter of the draw as Halep. When you’re down, they act like they don’t even know you. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)Source:Getty Images. "The only problem is, he's a little quicker, and he'll come around and get you.". He had never lost an international match in his 13-year career. Wet and with no blankets or food, he spent the night in sub-zero temperatures. “The FBI took two and a half years investigating her and she pled guilty and served two years in federal prison. “Wrestling is different. If I’d have been smart and taken care of myself, life would’ve been good. “It’s been interesting to see how life works. “Did I believe in myself? He does a cartwheel. “People ask me, ‘What do you know about safety?’ I’m like, ‘Let me tell you some stories.’”, MORE: Olympic wrestlers tie for gold medal, 8 years after the competition. “My mom said, ‘Rulon, did I train my son to be a killer? But he also lost his privacy. A NOTE ABOUT RELEVANT ADVERTISING: We collect information about the content (including ads) you use across this site and use it to make both advertising and content more relevant to you on our network and other sites. “I have well over 150 pounds more to lose,” he said. I decided to come back closer to home.”. The “Miracle on the Mat” turned him into an American hero. Growing up, life on the farm was hard, and money short. He attended Ricks Junior College in Rexburg, Idaho, and became the national junior college heavyweight champion. Gardner was the youngest of nine Mormon children raised on a 250-acre dairy farm. As human beings, we’re trusting creatures. The media portrayed the gold-medal match as a coronation for Karelin as he headed into retirement. If you apply yourself, you can be that person,” the second-year coach said. I got taken. Karelin was previously unbeaten for … In 2011, Gardner landed on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” After 16 weeks, he lost 78kg. (Originally published by the Daily News on Thursday, Sept. 28, 2000; written by Wayne Coffey). Favorite us! news.com.au — Australia’s leading news site. When I made the team, it was like, ‘There goes any shot of us winning a medal’. When you do something, there are people you think are your friends. "I was scared - intense fear.". By the end, Karelin looked beaten in spirit. You can’t put it to sleep.”, Rulon Gardner on The Biggest Loser in 2010. It’s good. He lost his self-esteem. Almost inexplicably, Rulon said he had no fear against Karelin, only calm. The USOPC has been working separately on governance reform that increases athlete representation on its boards and committees, creates better oversight of affiliated sports organizations and makes it easier for athletes to report concerns. I went in and blew the numbers out of the park. We want to believe that people will take care of you.”. Then a somersault. It’s hardworking, fast-paced. Improbable Olympic glory defines Gardner, but so do the near-death experiences and other unfortunate events that come his way. Rulon Gardner wins the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling by defeating three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin in the 130 kg final at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. Gardner’s family no longer has the Wyoming dairy farm where he grew up. NRL news: Sam Burgess stands down from South Sydney amid ser... AFL news: Port Adelaide defeats Geelong, umpire Razor Ray Ch... Major new motorsport venue to be built in Toowoomba. He provided one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history to win a gold medal in Sydney — but Rulon Gardner quickly fell on hard times. Rulon Gardner wins the gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling by defeating three-time Olympic champion Alexander Karelin in the 130 kg final at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. “I had to look up ‘Rulon Gardner,’” Irving said. Largely, because he didn’t lose when he was supposed to. SYDNEY - There's going to be some kind of good time down at Tri-Star Convenience and Gas in Afton, Wyo., this morning, and many mornings to come. In fact, it’s an underlying theme, and a scene of him in his kitchen talking to his tiny dog is particularly moving. The freestyle competitions were held from 28 September to 1 October, and the Greco-Roman events were held from 24 to 27 September. He stopped fighting in the final seconds. It was around then that he split with his fourth wife, and was halfway to becoming licensed as a financial adviser in Connecticut when his company was sold and all new hires were let go. “After I won and they raised my hand, I still thought there’s no way in the world I’m gonna get the gold medal. His story didn’t end there. I don’t ever want to wake up.’ ”, Gardner sheds a tear as he walks off the mat leaving his shoes behind to signify his retirement after winning the bronze medal in Athens. The ending remains stunning. Gardner retired at 120kg. From there followed a motorcycle accident, an improbable comeback to take bronze in 2004, a plane crash, weighing in topless at 474 pounds on “The Biggest Loser” reality show and losing millions after getting taken in a real estate scam.