Athletes - Rulon Gardner

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	Athletes - Rulon Gardner

Rulon Gardner (born August 16, 1971 in Afton, Wyoming) is an amateur wrestler in the Greco-Roman discipline from the United States. His strength is often attributed to the physical labor on the dairy farm he grew up on. He graduated from the University of Nebraska. He has worked as a middle school teacher and motivational speaker.

Gardner is perhaps most well known for his defeat of Alexander Karelin in the 2000 Summer Olympics. Karelin had been undefeated for thirteen years, and had not given up a point in six years, prior to his loss in the gold medal match to Gardner.

After the 2000 Olympics he suffered a series of injuries, including an amputated toe and a dislocated wrist. He was also in a motorcycle accident. Despite his injuries, he won the U.S. Olympic trials for his weight class and competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics. At the 2004 Olympics, he was unable to repeat his 2000 performance, although he did win a bronze medal. After the bronze medal match, he left his shoes on the mat as a traditional symbol of retirement.

Gardner has since begun competing in mixed martial arts and in 2005 he became the host for a professional wrestling league called Real Pro Wrestling.

Aside from his Olympic medals, his achievements include:

U.S. Champion in 1995, 1997, and 2001
James E. Sullivan Award for amateur athlete of the year, 2001
Gold medal, World Wrestling Championships, 2001
Jesse Owens
Award, 2001
United States Olympic Committee Sportsman of the Year, 2001
ESPY award for U.S. Male Olympic athlete of the year, 2001
Pan American Games champion, 1998
World Cup Champion, 1996

MMA Record

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Rulon Gardner ]

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