INDIANAPOLIS, Indiana, 25 May 2004 — Rulon Gardner will attempt to defend his Olympic Greco-Roman super heavyweight wrestling title at the Athens Games after qualifying here Sunday at the US Olympic wrestling trials.
Gardner, the 2001 world champion, defeated 2002 world champion Dremiel Byers twice by 2-1 in overtime to qualify in the 120-kilogram class and complete an amazing comeback after several injuries including losing a toe to frostbite.
“To take the hits and knocks and say, ‘I’m back,’ is just as big as the first time,” Gardner said. Gardner made his fame at Sydney in 2000 by beating Russian legend Alexandre Karelin 1-0 in the gold-medal match, a surprising triumph that earned him the Sullivan Award for 2000 as the top US amateur sportsman in that Olympic year.
“It was a one-time thing, beating a 13-time champion,” Gardner said. “If it happens this time, it will be more like a wrestler coming back and overcoming adversity.”
Gardner lost a toe to frostbite after spending 17 hours in bitter cold after a Feb. 14, 2002, snowmobile accident. He was airlifted to safety but had a toe removed and had to learn anew how to balance himself on the mat.
Gardner suffered a motorcycle accident earlier this year and just days before last month’s US championships, Gardner suffered a severe right wrist injury while playing basketball with fellow wrestlers.
Diving into the bleachers after the ball, Gardner dislocated his wrist and went on to lose to Byers in the US national finals. He had three pins removed from his wrist a week ago but the joint still lacks a full range of motion.
“From that point, I was having limited practices,” Gardner said. “I had to change my stance and my strategy, not be as aggressive with my right hand.”
Gardner said he was cautious even walking across streets after having suffered so many injuries, saying his hearty life growing up on a farm in the mountains of Wyoming toughened him. “Every day I had a scar or cut. That was part of my life,” he said. “(Not making the Olympics) would be pretty devastating. That would have been the final chapter of my career.”
Gardner delayed his retirement by dispatching Byers twice to claim a best-of-three showdown for Athens. He won the first match with a takedown 6:55 into overtime and was awarded the second match six seconds faster when a penalty point was assessed against Byers for unlocking.
