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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; [2] Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition.
Learn about Rulon Gardner, the man who never quits, and his journey from winning the gold at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 to facing multiple life-threatening situations. Watch his documentary, request him as a speaker, or join his sports streaming platform.
Dec 28, 2019 · Rulon Gardner became the first man to beat Alexander Karelin, who was riding a 13-year unbeaten streak, in international competition when he won a gold medal at the 2000 Summer Games....
- Chad Dundas
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.
Aug 1, 2007 · Olympic hero Rulon Gardner has fallen off trucks, been impaled by an arrow, broken his neck, endured a frostbitten night in subzero temperatures, and swam away (barely) from a plane crash.
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...
