The shoes Rulon Gardner left at the 2004 Olympics were meant to signal his retirement from wrestling.
But since then, Gardner has trekked across the country promoting the sport he can never really abandon.
Gardner handed the torch to the first runner of the torch run in downtown Des Moines on Friday, kicking off the annual Iowa Games, which revs up this weekend in Ames.
He also will help open the National State Games of America at Colorado Springs later this month.
“Each state has its own type of sports movement and it basically simulates almost the Olympic Games, “Gardner said. “It is a chance for their citizens to come out and be a part of an Olympic-caliber event.”
He said events such as the Iowa Games give athletes the feeling of someday preparing for the Olympic Games.
Gardner, who won a gold medal in 2000 and a bronze in 2004, has extended his wrestling advocacy by holding motivational speeches at schools, communities and corporations across the United States discussing how he overcame adversity.
“I went to college and struggled through school, “said Gardner, who wrestled at Nebraska. “Nothing came easy to me, it was a matter of working hard to get to the next level.”
Going into his second year as a commentator and spokesperson for the Real Pro Wrestling League, Gardner said one way he seeks to promote the sport of wrestling is by focusing on human interest stories.
“So people can start understanding the beauty of wrestling and not just the physicalness, “Gardner said.
Iowans involved in RPW include former Iowa coach Dan Gable and Iowa State assistant wrestling coach Chris Bono.
Gardner said there’s a possibility of RPW doing a tour to increase recognition.
Gardner underwent a toe amputation after sustaining severe frostbite during a snowmobile trip in 2002. He went on to capture bronze at the Athens Games last year.
He has written of his battles with adversity in a book, due out this fall.
“(It talks about) my pursuit of not perfection but greatness from having a learning disability as a child to my eventual retirement, “Gardner said.
He lives in northern Utah but hopes to settle in Wyoming, his home state.
“I’m in the process of trying to have a regular life, “Gardner said.
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