DES MOINES, Iowa — In less than two years, former Olympic gold medalist Rulon Gardner has nearly dropped the 200 pounds he put on during his gluttonous retirement from wrestling.
If Gardner wants to keep his shot at the London Olympics alive, he’s got at least 25 more pounds to lose in just two weeks.
The deadline for Gardner’s unlikely and somewhat mysterious comeback as a Greco-Roman heavyweight is April 20. That’s when the 40-year-old Gardner — known lately for his stint on NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” — must weigh no more than 264.5 pounds to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team Trials in Iowa City, Iowa.
Gardner, a native of Afton, Wyo., who ballooned to 474 pounds after defeating Russian Alexander Karelin at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and winning the world title a year later, said Thursday that he’s “close to 290” pounds.
Even if Gardner achieves his weight goal, the path to London will be arduous.
The favorite for the Greco-Roman heavyweight spot is three-time world medalist Dremiel Byers, who has established himself as America’s best in that class. But Gardner has chosen to look at his journey from a philosophical perspective.
“If I make the Olympic team? Great,” he said. “If not, look at myself after eight years and ballooning up almost 200 pounds and getting on ‘The Biggest Loser.’ You know what? I get my life back again, and that’s what truly mattered.”
The Associated Press
