Rulon Gardner

Biography

When Rulon Gardner won the Olympic gold medal for Greco Roman wrestling at the 2000 games in Sydney, he became the pride of a nation and a new American hero. In an amazing contest of rookie versus veteran, and the US versus Russia, Rulon captivated the world when he took the gold from three-time Olympic gold medalist Alexander Karelin. His achievement truly embodies what it means to be a champion -- his determination, self-confidence and drive to win in spite of overwhelming obstacles is an inspiration to people everywhere.

Today, Rulon is busy training for the 2012 Olympics in London. An engaging and inspirational speaker, Rulon shares his story of what it takes to be a winner and shows that with dedication, sacrifice and believing in yourself... dreams really do come true.

Publications

Never Stop Pushing: My Life from a Wyoming Farm to the Olympic Medals Stand

Never Stop Pushing is a motivational autobiography by Olympic Greco-Roman champion wrestler Rulon Gardner (Gold Medal, 2000; Bronze Medal, 2004). This inspiring memoir comes from one of the world`s most remarkable athletes who achieved arguably the greatest upset in individual sports history when he defeated the Russian Alexander Karelin -- three-time Olympic champ, undefeated and unscored upon for a decade before his match with Gardner -- in the 2000 Gold Medal match. Rulon Gardner tells the story of his impoverished upbringing as one of nine children in a close-knit Mormon family on a farm in Wyoming, where in performing unceasing chores he developed tremendous strength at an early age. Gardner writes about his struggles in school made arduous by learning disabilities that have challenged him his whole life. Also, after winning his Gold Medal, we read how this champion survived a snowmobile accident that marooned him outdoors for eighteen hours in high country. Rulon Gardner recovered from this and went on to defend his Gold Medal at Athens in 2004 -- yet another comeback from this athlete who was supposed to simply fade away.

Titles

7 Points To Success - Rulon shares personal experiences to illustrate how persistence leads to success:
1. Go Back To The Basics
2. Turn The Negatives Into Positives
3. Aim High When You`re Feeling Low
4. Enlist Others
5. Train Hard
6. Take Care Of Business
7. Don`t Rest On Your Laurels