Rulon Gardner
Rulon Gardner was born in Afton, Wyoming, United States on August 16th, 1971 and is the Wrestler. At the age of 53, Rulon Gardner biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 53 years old, Rulon Gardner has this physical status:
Rulon Ellis Gardner (born August 16, 1971) is an American retired Greco-Roman Olympic Gold Medalist wrestler.
He competed at the 2000 and 2004 Olympics and won the gold medal in 2000, defeating Russia's Aleksandr Karelin in the final.
Karelin was previously unbeaten for 13 years in international competition.
Gardner won a bronze medal at the 2004 Games.
Educational background
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. He was an All-State selection in both football and wrestling, and was also the 1989 Wyoming wrestling state heavyweight champion. In track and field, as a senior, he took second at the state finals in the shot put.
Gardner attended junior college at Ricks College (now BYU-Idaho) in Rexburg, Idaho, and as a sophomore won the NJCAA national heavyweight wrestling championship. He and his first wife Sheri lost their daughter, Stacey in a terrible car accident on December 26, 1990. He then earned a scholarship to attend the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. While at Nebraska, Gardner finished fourth in the 275 lb. weight class at the 1993 NCAA Championships, earning All-American honors. He graduated from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln with a bachelor's degree in physical education. He attended both Ricks and Nebraska on wrestling scholarships.
Wrestling career
Gardner is best known for his overthrowrowning gold medalist Aleksandr Karelin at the 2000 Summer Olympics. Karelin had been undefeated for 13 years and hadn't missed a single point in six years, prior to his loss in the gold medal match to Gardner.
With a win over Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary in the finals, Gardner added to his list of accomplishments in 2001. With his victory, he became the first American to ever win both a World and Olympic championship in Greco-Roman wrestling.
He sustained a string of injuries after the 2000 Olympics, including a snowmobiling and motorcycle crash. These injuries included an amputated toe and a dislocated wrist, but he went on to win the U.S. Olympic trials for his weight class and then advanced to the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was unable to repeat his 2000 appearance, earning the bronze medal, and after his match, he shaved his shoes in the middle of the mat as a sign of retirement from competitive wrestling.
Gardner appeared in mixed martial arts once more, and in 2004 he became the host of a pro wrestling league called Real Pro Wrestling.
Gardner spent time as an analyst for NBC Sports' coverage of Wrestling in the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Gardner made a comeback to the 2012 Olympics but was unable to meet the 264.5 pound maximum weight limit for the US Olympic Trials, putting him ineligible to compete for a spot on the Olympic team.
Gardner defeated Hidehiko Yoshida in a judo vs. wrestling mixed martial arts (MMA) competition at the Pride Fighting Championships in December 31, 2004 at an event called PRIDE Shockwave 2004. Yoshida, in addition to being an Olympic gold medalist in judo, was a highly skilled MMA fighter. Gardner, who was coached by Randy Couture at Team Quest, was the winner of the match by a unanimous vote.