More gold for Gardner?

ATHENS, Greece — "When we were in Sydney, we didn't realize what was ahead of us, that's for sure."

That's Reed Gardner talking. Rulon's dad. The retired dairy farmer from Afton, Wyo., is sitting in a wrestling hall slightly closer to home than Sydney, Australia, but still a world away. Down below, on the mat, his son has just won decisions over a Lithuanian, a Bulgarian and a Pole, all with names Reed doesn't even attempt to pronounce — and doesn't have to. They have been eliminated from the competition and Rulon, just like at the last Olympics, is on his way again, plowing through the field. Not much has changed. Other than just about everything.

Welcome to the Rulon Gardner story, four years later. Sometime shortly after lunchtime today, Utah and Wyoming time, the farm-strong kid from Afton, Wyo., who has turned himself into the Western Hemisphere's most famous Greco-Roman wrestler, will either be a double Olympic gold medalist or he won't be. A Russian, an Iranian and a Kazakhstanian qualified for the medal round with him in Tuesday's preliminary matches. All are tougher than nails. Today in the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall, during morning semifinals and evening finals (Athens is nine hours ahead of Utah), they'll find out if they are tougher than Rulon Gardner.

Pretty much the entire Gardner family is here, as they were at the 2000 Games in Sydney. Rulon is the youngest of nine children born to Reed and Virginia Gardner. Counting Rulon's new wife, Lisa (they were married on July 23), and friends, there are 16 on Team Gardner in Athens — 17 if you count Rulon. In the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall they take up nearly two full rows.

Four years ago, Team Gardner only made it to Sydney by selling milk-can dinners at fairs. Six dollars bought enough meat, potatoes and vegetables to feed a family — a meal in a milk can. This time, the John Hancock Financial Group picked up everyone's air fare and lodgings in return for appearances by Rulon.

"It's easier, but it's harder," says Rulon's sister Marcella as she watches her brother leave the arena below after a close overtime win. "Harder because everyone's aiming for him, everyone's watching what he does. In Sydney, they didn't even have his name on the program."

It's part of Rulon lore that the Sydney organizers put the name of Dremiel Byers as the U.S. entrant in the Greco-Roman heavyweight division.

Byers was the expectant American champion who was upset by the unknown Gardner at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. To add to the irony, Byers is the person Rulon brought to Athens to train against, offering him the $40,000 he'll collect from the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Wrestling if he wins gold again.