After the finals, the arena lights come on and the whole Herriman cheering section swarms the group on the floor. Two-time Olympian and wrestling legend Rulon Gardner released a statement Wednesday morning regarding his abrupt decision to quit 'The Biggest Loser' even though some considered him the. That same drive that helped me succeed [in wrestling], is the same drive that helped me survive in the wilderness, he said. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? Some would see this as good coachingthat when you have someone you know can be pushed as hard as Rulon, its your job as a trainer to push them. Its like hes sitting in the strongman booth at a carnival and they want to document his strength. After graduating from the University of Nebraska, Rulon continued his Olympic wrestling pursuit with full-time dedication. For one week every year, Star Valley would have a wrestling camp, which always concluded with a tournament on the weekend. In 2002, Gardner went snowmobiling with some friends in the mountains surrounding Star Valley, Wyoming. Its a long story. So, how much is Rulon Gardner worth at the age of 52 years old? After 16 weeks on the show, Gardner had lost 173 pounds. You want me to come give a speech? Rulon signed up with his friend Justin Pope, a fellow wrestler (who beat Rulon in junior high) and long-time friend. I was a good wrestler, but I want to be a better coach than I ever was as a wrestler.. For much of his storied sports career, two-time Olympic medalist Rulon Gardner was a slave to the scale. Gardner is known for his defeat of Aleksandr Karelin at the 2000 Summer Olympics. He deserves all the accolades that he has.. Yoshida, in addition to being an Olympic gold medalist in judo, was a highly successful MMA fighter. He 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. He also has licensing deals, as well as print and television endorsements. Gardner is standing along the center line between the rows of mats with an eye on his four guys, who are split into pairs to get loose. As hes unpacked boxes in his new home and found items he barely remembers receiving, some have made it to JRI. The wrestler has almost lost his life several times. While some of Rulons own wrestlers may essentially be over it, others in the arena are more starstruck by the presence of an all-time great. His coworker at JRI, Lydia Woltjen, jokes that shes sure to wear a seatbelt when Rulon is driving. Episode 1913 -- Pictured: Olympic wrestler Rulon Gardner during . Think about how its presented to the typical American consumer in TV commercials. Twenty years after winning a stunning gold medal at the Sydney Olympics, former wrestler Rulon Gardner reflects on the winding path his . [9], When Gardner was in elementary school, he was injured during a class show-and-tell, when his abdomen was punctured with an arrow.[10]. After the 2000 Olympics he suffered a series of injuries from both a snowmobiling and motorcycle accident. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 16 August. Far from hindering his life, his size became his superpower. The Real Housewives of Atlanta The Bachelor Sister Wives 90 Day Fiance Wife Swap The Amazing Race Australia Married at First Sight The Real Housewives of Dallas My 600-lb Life Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. She was the daughter of the apostle of the LDS church. There are rows of pull-up bars and headshots of wrestlers whove qualified for the Utah state tournament in years past. The Los Angeles Rams drafted defensive end out of Toledo, Desjuan Johnson with the 259th pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Thats another tricky one. I try to use it to inspire and get kids motivated to come out for wrestling for us., When he looks back with 20 years of hindsight on the match that first made him a household name, he draws inspiration from Karelin. Yoshida, in addition to being an Olympic gold medalist in judo, was a highly successful MMA fighter. This is their moment, and he wants to let them have it. . 2 immediately begins. And thats the story that he stuck to for nine years. From Allstate telling you to prepare for mayhem, to State Farm handling a series of calamities at Chris Pauls house to Farmers dealing with any nightmare scenario J.K. Simmons can conjure. And that's wrong., He offers one last sobering thought on his size: I realize, in the next 10 years, if I dont change, I wont be here. As of 2011, Gardner worked as a motivational speaker, often appearing as a keynote presenter and event host. Against harrowing odds, Rulon emerged as the victor. There were parents with their kids, spouses and siblings. Im the eye candy, Rulon jokes. He got married in October 2020, has lost around 50lbs (22.5kg) in weight, and recently moved to St. George, Utah, where he hopes to start a youth wrestling training centre. State titles on three, Martinez says. He and his first wife Sheri lost their daughter, Stacey in a terrible car accident on December 26, 1990. Hopefully, they can see that. Thats the attitude hell never shake. In track and field, as a senior, he took second at the state finals in the shot put. For many high school wrestlers, this will be the pinnacle of their athletic careers, and the moment is treated with that gravity. He closes his eyes and puts a hand over his heart. He pops his head in the back of the room, looking out at the men and women in business attire, sitting in rows and staring ahead at a PowerPoint presentation about the insurance industry. American Rulon Gardner upsets undefeated and un-scored-upon Russian Aleksandr Karelin to claim a stunning gold at the 2000 Sydney Olympics #NBCSports #RulonG. Hes seen countless gyms from his hometown in Wyoming to the University of Nebraska to the USA Wrestling Olympic training center. He paid her $24K for the first six months, then $36K for the next three, about a quarter million total. These proved to be particularly important as Rulon embraced numerous challenges in his life. I know what I need to do, now I need to focus, and The Biggest Loser taught you 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. Gardner's goal is to get near the weight at which he competed. Today, Gardner has taken the lessons learnt and built a new life for himself. His next close shave came in 2007, when he survived a crash in a light aircraft. Practically speaking, he is coaching more than that. Rulon wishes they were on the mat warming up already, but he repeats a phrase hes said a few times this week: You cant want it for them. In some ways, this is one of the toughest parts of the job. On the desk he has nothing but a binder, a notebook and a red Powerade Zero Sugar. Rulon Gardner, a 2000 Olympic wrestling champion, is not competing in Greco-Roman at this week's U.S. Open despite registering for the event, which would have been his first meet in more than a . Despite facing such dramatic odds against the greatest Greco-Roman wrestler of all time, he decided to try and win gold to silence his doubters. Unbelievably, that wasn't Rulon's only near-death experience with hypothermia. In just one year, he went through rehabilitation and was back on the mat. Rulon says he was a victim, and the paper trail backs him up. That was just a small dumbbell shy of 500. One client leaves and its on to the next one. However, she divorced him when he became involved with his first pluralist wife. The sun began to lower and the temperature, which had been twenty-five degrees, began to drop. He gives the impression that hed recall the date even if Valentines Day werent an easy one to remember. [1] In 2010, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member. They drop $20 bills on the table for books with personalized inscriptions. Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho, and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship. Herriman High has a break now, as the tourney progresses through the middleweights, before the schools two other wrestlers compete. Before attending Nebraka, Gardner was a junior college national champion at Ricks College. Jack has his head down, arms grabbing the trusses along the side of the metal bleachers. Just an Olympic champion, quietly watching the high-schoolers competing in front of him, chatting only when somebody new sidles up next to him and starts a conversation. Because it wasnt sitting in some rich collectors safe after an auction, it was just being held onto by an old friend waiting to be made whole. He talks to every single person that wants to talk to him, and hell sign an autograph for anybody, his assistant coach, Martinez, says. He talks to the teammates wholl be there as spectators about letting that experience motivate them for next year. 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. But in the end, he found his inner steel. Rulon says it went beyond thatand that behind the scenes it was worse, that the people involved in making the show were manipulative, and gossip among contestants was rampant. He remained stranded for the next 18 hours. Oh, do you know who he is? Rulons coworker asks his client. Wrestlers are seeded into 16-man brackets in 14 weight classes, and each round of the tournament starts with the lightest weights and progresses on upward to Rulons old division. He already had a relationship with NBC, working as a TV commentator for the networks coverage of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. Its in this room that Gardner, who became Herrimans head coach before the 201819 season, wants to impart the wisdom that made him an Olympic champion, and that he believes is his duty to pass on to the next generation of wrestlers. [A PR rep for the show, which has since been relaunched on the NBC/Comcast-owned USA Network, could not make anyone involved with Gardners season of the show available for comment. Not a chance in the world, he told Washington Post when asked if he believed hed beat Karelin. He pulls a few aside individually and talks to them about being the ones wearing medals next year. The result of having no feeling in his feet is that sometimes hell miss a step. On this very trip, he was disappointed because he would have liked to go to the famed Carnegie Deli, whose main restaurant in Manhattan closed in 2016 after nearly 80 years. Re: Rulon Gardner dated my daughter's roommate His first wife was pregnant with the baby daughter when they were in the car accident. He thinks about headlines in the Star Valley Independent, back in his hometown in Wyoming that was so happy to claim him when things were going well. I probably would have lost the medal for good if I hadnt gone on the show, Rulon said. Rulon currently serves as the head wrestling coach at Herriman High School in Utah. [3], Gardner was born in Afton, Wyoming. He runs to Rad first and gives him a big hug. Its an interesting twist, being both the new guy and the celebrity. The night before the tournament, he stopped at a buffet restaurant for dinner. He was able to regain his medals in 2020. Maybe not quite as busy as when he grew up on the farm, milking cows and carrying irrigation pipe from sunup to sundown. He doesnt expect to sleep much tonight. Sports Illustrated is here! he tells him. Rulon says he and Harper spoke in one of the shows vans for an hour and a half after he announced his exit. He's a gem! They all smile as he pulls them in tight. Gardner has expressed a desire to make a comeback, with an eye on the 2024 Olympics. He graduated from the University of NebraskaLincoln with a bachelor's degree in physical education. Rulon plays the Dont you know who I am? cardbut, seriously, dont you know who he is? His word carries sway and people love to talk. [6], In 2012, Gardner and his wife Kami filed for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy in a Salt Lake City Federal court, with $2.9 million in liabilities. Warr, a senior with braces on his teeth, clutches his practice partners foot two feet off the ground and stares back with rapt attention as Rulon discusses technique. Gardner competed once in mixed martial arts and in 2005 he became the host for a professional wrestling league called Real Pro Wrestling. The one person that can change it is me.. He wants to convince every college recruiter to give his kids a shot, and a head start on the rest of their lives. He says some, many of whom gain back considerable weight after they leave the show, feel the experience ruined their lives. Rulon and his wife live in Logan, Utah, where he runs a gym with Pope. Can I talk to the parents about insurance afterward? He certainly has no problem using his name to draw people in. Rulon learned about hard work and determination which became core values in Rulon Gardners life. Gardners life in the public eye has been a twisting journey of highs and lows. Everyone just wants Rulon to be healthy. He remained stranded for the next 18 hours. He defeated Russian Aleksandr Karelin in the 2000 Olympic heavyweight final in Sydney, handing Karelin his first loss in 13 years. 2023 ABG-SI LLC. They share a big hug and run into the tunnel, into the basement level of the arena, to go celebrate. As a senior in high school, The Wyoming native won a state wrestling title and placed second in the shot put. Thats how thick the NDA was, he says. He now shuttles between the Olympic Training Center and his home in Logan, Utah, where, after a bank loan fell through in . Rulon doesnt go up the stairs to his seat during the break, opting instead to stay in the holding pen. Rulon is walking carefully. Gardner shocked the trainers, staff, and contestants on the April 26 episode by announcing he would be leaving the show "for personal reasons", and left the show without a final weigh-in. They look at the picture and Rulon says, Now you tell them, if you dont hit your numbers this month, you know whos coming around. High school wrestling coaches ask Rulon to look into their camera phones and deliver motivational speeches for their teams. After several hours in his makeshift shelter, he stopped shivering, which led him to believe that he was dying. During his efforts to regain his composure and regroup, he fell into the freezing Salt River with his snowmobile. [16] While at Nebraska, Gardner finished fourth in the 275lb. A bookcase next to the TV houses a plaque commemorating his induction to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame; the prestigious James E. Sullivan Award, given annually to the top amateur athlete in the country; an ESPY for being named 2000s male U.S. Olympian of the year; and other accolades. He tells everyone to put their hands in. He is quiet but he holds peoples attention when hes talking to them. He was on The Biggest Loser, hosted by Jillian Michaels. Gardner is entered in the Greco-Roman . Most coaches sit in the chairs, but Rulon stands behind his. The office sits in a strip of brick storefronts, and the front door opens to a wall of pristine, snowcapped mountains. At one point during the conversation about The Biggest Loser, he whips out his phone and calls Moses Kinikini, a fellow contestant on that season. A few months later, Rulon shared that hes been doing well. Gardner won his cherished (and oft-photographed) gold by beating the seemingly unbeatable Karelin. The finals are a spectacle. 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. Hes picked up yet another job, as an ambassador and spokesman for an app that helps promote workplace safety for construction sites and other heavy industry jobs. The youngest of nine children, Rulon Gardner was born to Reed and Virginia Gardner on August 16, 1971. Share Twenty years ago at the Sydney Olympics, Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner pulled off one of the biggest upsets in sports history. Thats awesome, she said. Rulon Gardner is crammed into the drivers seat of a 2006 Volkswagen Beetle. Since turning his life around financially, hes been able to reclaim most of it, and today is able to show his hard-won Olympic medals to his students. This inspiring memoir tells the story of his impoverished upbringing as one of nine children in a close-knit Mormon family on a farm in Wyoming, where unceasing chores led to tremendous strength at an early age. I was walking out there saying, Well, Im at least guaranteed a silver medal.". Afton welcomed hometown hero Rulon . He also takes pride in the fact that even if he wouldnt have ultimately taken his old practice partner Dremiel Byerss spot on the 12 Olympic team, at least he made everyone in the room work a little harder. Its the second week of February and Coach Gardnerhis kids just call him Rulonhas four high-schoolers in the Utah 6A State Championships. But the idea of himof Rulon Gardnerbeing a quitter, that one hes ready to put to bed. And he seems fine with the arrangement. Its one in a long line of injuries he has battled throughout his life. In life you make mistakes, you learn from them and move forward. This is another touchy subject for Rulon, though one he discusses openly. 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. American Olympian who competed in the 2000 Olympic games in Greco-Roman wrestling, winning a gold medal in the 130 kg weight class. All Rights Reserved. They relocate to Lydias desk in the main entryway. There was an incident in New Zealand, when contestants had just returned to the show after a holiday break, and he needed a chiropractor. At this time, Im asking to leave The Biggest Loser for a personal reason. And that was it. Youve gotta be a man! He talks about his Seven Steps to Success, which are outlined in his autobiography. He is from . Hundreds of wrestlers are running around, stretching or sparring to warm up. He clips his ID to a carpenter loop on his pants. Fighting chance. At the end of practice, Gardner has the team sit on a rolled-up mat in the corner of the room so he and the assistants can deliver a speech. His great-great-grandfather Archibald Gardner was a bishop in the church and helped build the famed Salt Lake Temple. As the American shares in the Olympic Channel film 'Rulon', he got separated from the party he was with, became trapped in a shallow river, and was forced to spend the night in sub-zero temperatures with no shelter or jacket. He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's three-time reigning Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin in the final. Theres a curly-headed heavyweight from Fremont High, Weston Warr, whom Rulon has taken a liking to after theyve spoken at a few tournaments throughout the last two seasons. L-R . He bought a house nearby, so his only long commute is up I-15 to the high school. He jokes that it took him too long to figure one con that was pulled on him repeatedly: Organizations would make up some award to give him, largely as an excuse to get him to show up for free for an event to which they could sell tickets. [17] He attended both Ricks and Nebraska on wrestling scholarships. His first major accident happened when Gardner was in elementary school, and had his abdomen punctured by an arrow during a show and tell. [14], 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. Gardner, trained by Randy Couture at Team Quest, won the bout via unanimous decision. But none of that is to say Talmage and Traycee dont want it. So when Rulon filed for bankruptcy and authorities collected his possession to be auctioned off, they couldnt touch the medal. Gus, his 14-year-old Shih Tzu, sits on his left shoulder, staring out through the cracked windshield at the cars ahead. Posnanski, Joe (March 21, 2011) "Point After: Losing, and Loving It", "Rulon Gardner and the lonely afterglow of Olympic gold", "Booking Rulon Gardner Speaker Appearances, Rulon Gardner Agent Manager Contact, Hiring Rulon Gardner Speaking Engagements Costs Fees", "The Biggest Loser" Season 11 Finale Recap: A great cast is the ultimate trump card, "Gardner lives to tell of another life-threatening accident Olympics ESPN", "Daugherty: Having embraced wrestling to fullest, Gardner lets go", "Olympian Gardner survives small plane crash (AP report)", "Rulon Gardner to receive Citizenship Through Sports Alliance award for sportsmanship | TheMat.com USA Wrestling", "Aleksandr KARELIN | Olympic Athlete | Atlanta 1996, Barcelona 1992, Seoul 1988, Sydney 2000", "Two-time Olympic wrestling medalist Rulon Gardner undergoes additional surgery on his foot damaged b | TheMat.com USA Wrestling", "Pro-Wrestling Gets 'Real' Celebrity Gossip | Entertainment News | Arts And Entertainment", "Baltimore Sports News: Sports News, Scores and Schedules baltimoresun.com", "Rulon Gardner considers comeback for 2012 Olympics", "Despite failed comeback, Rulon Gardner is not finished wrestling", "Rulon Gardner MMA Stats, Pictures, News, Videos, Biography", Professional MMA record for Rulon Gardner, Rulon Gardner's page from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, "Nine minutes: How the Sydney Olympics changed wrestler Rulon Gardner's life", Olympic Champions in Greco-Roman super heavyweight, World Champions in Greco-Roman super heavyweight (130 kg), https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rulon_Gardner&oldid=1151173774, Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in wrestling, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling, Pan American Games silver medalists for the United States, Mixed martial artists utilizing Greco-Roman wrestling, Pan American Games medalists in wrestling, Articles with dead external links from April 2017, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, United States Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year, 2001, Inducted as a Distinguished Member of the, This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 11:02. He holds up his thumb and index finger a couple inches apart. The Herriman High wrestling room has one regulation-sized circle, and the dark blue mat extends out to light blue padded walls. They were wrestling around when an inadvertent headbutt knocked it out. They dont need him there. Rulon Gardner's age is 51. All those people who told me I could never get here and get on this stage, Im going to show them. . Someday the book will come out, Gardner says. [20], Gardner competed once in mixed martial arts, and in 2004 he became the host for a professional wrestling league called Real Pro Wrestling. Rulon Gardner's income source is mostly from being a successful Wrestler. He graduated from the University of NebraskaLincoln with a bachelor's degree in physical education. Most Olympic champions will tell you that self-belief is key to being the best in the world. Rulon also describes his Greco-Roman wrestling career, his Olympic victory, his academic struggles, and an account of his near-death experience after the snowmobile accident. Rulon feels he was treated unfairly. He wont say. Gardner served as an analyst for NBC Sports coverage of Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Another client comes out of a meeting with one of Rulons coworkers, and on the way out the door he spots the heavyweight. Now, standing in the dark, he watches the kids under the spotlight trying to earn their own. It may not always be easy, but Rulon has no plans to quit. After a first interview in Salt Lake City and a second-round tryout in California, they were all set. Still, he says when he got hold of a network executive on the phone, he was informed hed have to go through the full tryout process. Rulon weighed in at 474 pounds the first week, up from 286 in his Olympic years. Rulon says hes still willing to go out of his way for people he trusts, but he cant fulfill every request. Rulon started paying her $24,000 a month. He is famous for being a Wrestler. . School was a struggle for Rulon due to a learning disability. While Gardner has been working out of the office for a few months, he officially moved his stuff in last night. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Its an empty feeling every wrestler knows, including Rulon, who puts a hand on his wrestlers shoulder, looks him in the eye and delivers a reassuring message. Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Empty shelves line the wall to his right, but various items from his vast memorabilia collection fill the ones to his left. He was an All-State selection in both football and wrestling, and was also the 1989 wrestling state heavyweight champion. She also says Rulon has since confided in her that he didnt want to leave, but she says she would have no way of knowing if that was true. On-deck wrestlers stay on the floor in the warmup area as those with a longer wait time retreat to the bleachers. He hopes now that the high school season is over, he can refocus on himself. On February 24, 2007, Gardner and two other men survived a crash when a light aircraft he was traveling in crashed into Lake Powell, Utah. Gardner is strong enough to handle the steering wheel with two thick fingers and a thumb. Keep pushing. Though he concedes he needs to follow his own advice. He and Justin were the heaviest team on the ranch. Some of the unwelcome nicknames given to him included Dumbo, and later Fatso due to his size. He wouldnt have his gold medal without it. And the next year, he won a world championship. [8] Gardner shocked the trainers, staff, and contestants on the April 26 episode by announcing he would be leaving the show "for personal reasons", and left the show without a final weigh-in. He says Harper told him, I waited my whole career for you. Gardner is a Wyoming native who now lives in Utah. The culprit: one of his own wrestlers. There is one tangible positive in Rulons life as a direct result of his appearance on The Biggest Loser. Last summer, Gardner began to seriously consider a wrestling comeback. But Rulon has lived 49 years now, and not all have been as kind as that brief stretch after he became famous overnight, going from total unknown to Leno and Conan guest in a span of 10 days. A potential new client comes in for what Rulon calls a one-on-one. He knows a few things about planning for the unexpected and would be happy to answer your questions about any type of insurance. The youngest of nine children, Rulon Gardner was born to Reed and Virginia Gardner on August 16, 1971. Most famously, Gardner spent a February 2002 night in the wilderness after his snowmobile overturned and dunked him into an icy river multiple times. He travelled over 9,000km to Japan to take on judo Olympic gold medallist Hidehiko Yoshida. He has a tradition every year on the anniversary where he watches the time pass and reflects on what he was doing, hour-by-hour, on that fateful night. His headgear is on, his knee pad is up and his warmup outfit is cast aside, as hes down to just his singlet. Both will advance to Day 2, starting with the semifinals in the morning, two wins away from the top spot on the podium. Not the Olympic Greco-Roman super heavyweight final in 2000 when, with a 10 decision, he handed the Russian Bear his first loss in 13 years, and scored the first point against him in six. The short version, Rulon says, is that he was presented an opportunity to invest in a real estate venture in 2006. The car has logged a lot of miles, and in some ways come out a little worse for the wear, but it just never seems to quit. It is the latest foray in a string of jobs that includes owning a gym, driving a forklift and working as a medical device rep for Johnson & Johnson, which is when he put many of those miles on the Beetle. Perhaps most importantly, in this whole arrangement, is that the company is accommodating of his schedule. Gardner took the tests required to get his insurance license in 2018. His wrestlers are also, more literally, taking a while to warm up. He walks around the perimeter of the room, shoes off, thick white socks resting below his tree-trunk calves, and watches his kids spar. Im happy.. Twenty years after winning a stunning gold medal at the Sydney Olympics, former wrestler Rulon Gardner reflects on the winding path his life has taken.