Rulon Gardner is an American Olympic wrestler who won a gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He is best known for his stunning upset of Russian wrestler Alexander Karelin, who had not been beaten in international competition in 13 years. Gardner grew up in Wyoming and began wrestling in high school. After high school, he attended the University of Nebraska and won the 1984 NCAA Division I title in the 190-pound weight class. He went on to compete in 1992, 1996, and 2000 Olympic Games. In 2001, Gardner nearly lost his life in a snowmobile accident which left him stranded in the snow for 18 hours. He recovered and went on to compete in the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. He also competed in the 2008 Olympic Trials but was unsuccessful. He was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008. Gardner has since served as a coach and motivational speaker.

Greatest Olympic underdogs 

Rulon Gardner is widely considered to be one of the greatest Olympic underdogs in history. In 2000, he won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the Sydney Olympics, becoming the first American to win a gold medal in the sport since 1984. He was the underdog going into the match, as his Russian opponent, Alexander Karelin, had not been defeated in 13 years. Gardner was able to score the winning point in the final seconds of overtime, shocking the world and inspiring millions. Since then, Gardner has become a symbol of hope and perseverance for athletes everywhere.