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Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler. He 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.
Learn about Rulon Gardner, the wrestler who beat the unbeatable and won gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Find out how he overcame multiple life-threatening situations and became a motivational speaker and coach.
Learn about Rulon Gardner, the Olympic gold medalist, survivor, and motivational speaker. Discover his childhood, wrestling career, near-death experiences, and more.
- Salt Lake City, UT
- (719) 964-7829
- Andrew Binner
- Rulon's tough upbringings. Rulon Gardner struggled at school due to a learning disability. Some of the unwelcome nicknames given to him included Dumbo, and later Fatso due to his size.
- The champion reared on a dairy farm. Gardner spent hours working on his family’s 250-acre dairy farm in Wyoming. He would rise before the sun to move bales of hay, chop wood, and milk and clean cows, and attributes his early strength to the rigors of this work.
- Gardner didn’t believe he’d win Olympic gold. Most Olympic champions will tell you that self-belief is key to being the best in the world. But Gardner certainly isn’t most athletes, and approached his Olympic final believing that second-place would be a satisfactory achievement.
- Rulon Gardner's near-death experiences. The wrestler has almost lost his life several times. His first major accident happened when Gardner was in elementary school, and had his abdomen punctured by an arrow during a show and tell.
Apr 22, 2021 · 📲 Subscribe to @olympics: http://oly.ch/Subscribe American wrestler Rulon Gardner shocks Russian wrestling Legend Aleksandr Karelin to win gold at Sydney 2...
- 17 min
- 441.8K
- Olympics
Jun 9, 2020 · How did Rulon Gardner's shock win over Aleksandr Karelin in Greco-Roman wrestling change the sport and the lives of many wrestlers? Read the stories of Joe Rau, Gary Abbott and others who were inspired by the American legend.
Jul 20, 2020 · Twenty years ago at the Sydney Olympics, Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Russian super heavyweight Aleksandr Karelin hadn’t lost an...
