America's Olympic Greco-Roman champion, who shocked Russia's three-time gold medallist Alexander Karelin when he won at Sydney 2000, will have his items auctioned today in Salt Lake City.

Among the memorabilia being sold are a commemorative ring celebrating his Olympic gold medal, autographed jerseys from John Elway and Karl Malone and a framed "Got Milk?" ad of Gardner.

The auction will help Gardner pay off debt in a $3.9 million (£2.4 million/€3.1 million) bankruptcy case.

The 43-year-old initially filed for bankruptcy in August in Federal Court in Salt Lake City.

The auction house Erkelens & Olson Sales and Auction in Salt Lake City listed a number of his possessions under a bankruptcy auction in October 2012, including a Harley Davidson with a Sydney Olympic logo and signed by the grandson of Harley Davidson, and his gold and bronze medals from the Olympic Games in 2000 and Athens 2004 respectively.

A commemorative ring celebrating Rulon Gardner's 2000 Olympic gold medal will be among items in the bankruptcy auction tomorrow ©Erkelens & Olson Sales and Auction



This bankruptcy followed a number of highs and lows in the American's life.

After winning gold at Sydney 2000, where he inflicted Karelin's first international defeat in 12 years, he added a World Championship title to his list of accomplishments with a victory in the finals over Mihaly Deak-Bardos of Hungary.

His win made him the only American to ever win both a world and Olympic title in Greco-Roman wrestling.

But, in 2002, he was involved in a snowmobile accident which resulted in him being stranded for 18 hours in the mountains surrounding Star Valley, Wyoming and falling in the Salt River.

Despite building his own shelter, the wrestler though himself left for dead but was eventually rescued and returned to safety.

Due to the conditions, his boots had to be sawed off with the experience costing him the middle toe on his right foot.

Rulon Gardner shocked the world when he defeated previously unbeaten Russian Alexander Karelin during the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games ©Getty Images



Gardner returned to the Olympics in 2004.

He was not able to repeat his Sydney performance, coming away with the bronze medal, and after his match, he placed his shoes in the middle of the mat as a symbol of retirement from competitive wrestling.

In February 2007, Gardner and two other men survived a crash when a light aircraft he was traveling in crashed into Lake Powell, Utah.

The men swam an hour in seven degrees Celsius water to reach shore, and then spent the night without shelter.

Gardner gained more than 200 pounds after Athens, and then lost 173 pounds of it on "The Biggest Loser" before leaving the show due to personal reasons.

He attempted a comeback before the 2012 US Olympic Trials but skipped a weigh-in, saying he fell short of making the 264.5-pound limit to compete.

Tomorrow's auction includes 240 items with more 200 expected to make an appearance.

Contact the writer of this story at [email protected]


Related stories
January 2011: Olympic wrestling champion Gardner in tears as he sheds 32lbs to lead the field in The Biggest Loser: Couples