Iconic Olympic wrestler Rulon Gardner’s connection to Paris and Park City

One of the IOC public displays set up at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Olympism 365 is a nonprofit international organization which pertains to many past Olympians, like Rulon Gardner. Photo: Augie Roepke

PARIS — At the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, USA wrestler Rulon Gardner removed his shoes and placed them on the wrestling mat to signify his respectful retirement from the sport. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, following his fifth Olympic gold medal win, Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler Mijain Lopez followed suit.

Gardner grew up in Star Valley, Wyo., less than a four-hour drive from Park City. He is a frequent, famous face at Park City Olympic venues and events.

That’s when he’s not working and working out at his public gym called, what else, Rulon Gardner’s Gold Medal Gym, in Southern Utah’s St. George, where he currently resides. 

As a member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic wrestling team, Gardner was pitted against Russian legend Alexander Karelin in what the IOC describes as a “David versus Goliath scenario.” Against harrowing odds, Gardner emerged as the gold medalist in “one of the biggest upsets in Olympic history.”

Gardner was part of the party when the Youth Sports Alliance put on a parade in Park City to celebrate all the Olympians and Paralympians, past, present, and future, after the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. 

Then, just over a week ago, Garner was also at the Utah Olympic Park the day all the Olympians and non-Olympians gathered to celebrate the announcement that Utah will host the Games once more in 2034.