U.S. Wrestling Legend Rulon Gardner Aiming To Make Olympic Return In His 50s

Rulon Gardner won gold in wrestling in probably the greatest upset in Olympics history … and now the American hero, who’s 51 years of ages, informs TMZ Sports he’s rebounding, and the objective is the Summer Games!

“I still wanna give more back to the sport, the sport that I love and that’s wrestling. When you have a goal like wrestling it makes you get into shape so I’ve lost a substantial amount of weight, getting healthy again, getting back after it, and now it’s getting on the mat,” Gardner stated.

“Every day it hurts like heck but it’s so fun to be able to get out there and throw with these young kids. It’s crazy ’cause I’m wrestling kids half my age.”

If you do not understand Rulon’s story … he won a gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling throughout the 2000 Games in Sydney. But, that does not even start to inform the story … ’cause Gardner beat the most dominant and feared wrestler of perpetuity, 6’3″, 286 pound. Aleksandr Karelin.

“The Russian Bear” was believed to be unsurpassable. He’d won the previous 3 gold medals. He had not lost a match because going into the global competitors in 1988. For sobbing out loud, he had not quit a single point in 6 years. To this day he’s concerned by the majority of as the best amateur wrestler ever.

But, in some way, someway … David killed Goliath. And now, Rulon wishes to do something possibly similarly difficult — contend at a first-rate level in his 50s.

The journey began as a method for Rulon to drop weight … and he informs us he’s down about 150 pounds. An extraordinary accomplishment, however not his objective.

“Our goal is to go out there and show we can still compete with the top-level wrestlers of the world. I know I can compete with the guys in the U.S., the question is do I have what it takes in my 50s to get back to the Olympic games?”

If he can finish the resurgence, we asked Rulon where the accomplishment would rank in the history of Olympic competitors.

“Dara Torres, she did it a few years ago as a swimmer in her 40s and nobody has ever thought about doing it in your 50s and especially a combat sport. It’s not easy on the body. Your talking about getting hit in the head, you’re talking about getting hit in the body, shoulder, and knees. There’s just so many body parts.”

“Last year, I started throwing people and I’m like oh my gosh, I was throwing guys and my body is saying, ‘what are you doing?’ It still says that but it’s like getting back on the bike and it feels normal again.”