1. Rulon Ellis Gardner was born on August 16,1971 and is an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler.
24 Facts About Rulon Gardner
1. 2.
Rulon Gardner won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games, defeating Russia's three-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin in the final; Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition.
3.
Rulon Gardner is the son of Reed and Virginia Gardner and the last of nine children.
4.
In 2005, Gardner published his autobiography, 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 and an account of his near-death experience when stranded after a snowmobile accident.
5.
Rulon Gardner has appeared at corporate events, celebrity golf tournaments, trade shows, and conventions.
6.
Rulon Gardner has licensing deals, as well as print and television endorsements.
7.
Rulon Gardner did not appear on the final episode of the season, except in the background of scenes of other contestants.
8.
When Rulon Gardner was in elementary school, he was injured during a class show-and-tell, when his abdomen was punctured with an arrow.
9.
In 2002, Rulon Gardner went snowmobiling with some friends in the mountains surrounding Star Valley, Wyoming.
10.
Unable to move any farther, Rulon Gardner decided to build a shelter and wait for a rescue team.
11.
Rulon Gardner told his story on a first-season episode of I Survived.
12.
Rulon 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.
13.
Rulon Gardner was an All-State selection in both football and wrestling, and was the 1989 Wyoming wrestling state heavyweight champion.
14.
Rulon Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho, and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship.
15.
Rulon Gardner attended both Ricks and Nebraska on wrestling scholarships.
16.
Rulon Gardner is known for his defeat of three-time reigning gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin at the 2000 Summer Olympics.
17.
In 2001, Rulon Gardner added a world championship to his list of accomplishments with a victory in the finals over Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary.
18.
Rulon Gardner's win made him the only American to ever win both a World and Olympic title in Greco-Roman wrestling.
19.
Rulon Gardner 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.
20.
Rulon Gardner competed once in mixed martial arts, and in 2004 he became the host for a professional wrestling league called Real Pro Wrestling.
21.
Rulon Gardner served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
22.
Rulon Gardner attempted a comeback for the 2012 Olympics but was unable to make the 264.5 pound max weight limit for the US Olympic Trials and therefore ineligible to compete for a position on the Olympic team.
23.
On December 31,2004, Rulon Gardner fought Hidehiko Yoshida in a judo vs wrestling mixed martial arts bout for the Pride Fighting Championships at an event named PRIDE Shockwave 2004.
24.
Rulon Gardner, trained by Randy Couture at Team Quest, won the bout via unanimous decision.