Reuters: Sports News: Overweight Gardner ends bid for Olympic comeback

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Overweight Gardner ends bid for Olympic comeback Apr 21st 2012, 01:43 Tweet Share this Email Print Related News RPT-OLYMPIC HISTORY 1980-2008 Wed, Apr 18 2012 RPT-OLYMPIC HISTORY 1948-1980 Wed, Apr 18 2012 RPT-OLYMPIC HISTORY 1896-1936 Wed, Apr 18 2012 RPT-Olympics-Leading 12 modern Olympians Wed, Apr 18 2012 RPT-FEATURE-Olympics-Leander ready for 100th rowing medal Wed, Apr 18 2012 Gardner of the US kneels on the mat after bronze medal win in men's Greco-Roman wrestling bout at Athens 2004 Olympics. Credit: Reuters/Yves Herman Fri Apr 20, 2012 9:43pm EDT (Reuters) - American wrestler Rulon Gardner, who overcome long odds to win a 2000 Olympic gold and later survived two death-threatening incidents, has ended his bid to qualify for the London Games, he said on Friday. Gardner, 40, elected not to weigh in for this weekend's U.S. Olympic wrestling trials in Iowa when he missed the 120 kilogram (264.5 pound) limit for the heavyweight division by five pounds (2.3kg), he said in a statement. "I'm disappointed I didn't make the weigh in," said Gardner, who also won a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Olympics. "I worked hard. I was within five pounds. I'm glad I did this and have my health back." His weight had ballooned to more than 470 pounds before he lost more than 170 on a reality television show in 2011 and decided to make a wrestling comeback. Gardner grabbed international headlines at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 when the Wyoming farm boy stunned Russian Aleksandr Karelin for the gold medal. Karelin had not lost a match in 13 years. A 2002 snowmobile accident resulted in the amputation of a toe after Gardner was stranded in winter weather in the Wyoming mountains for 18 hours. Five years later he survived a plane crash into the frigid waters of Lake Powell, Utah, forcing him and two others to swim for an hour to reach shore. "We applaud him for his gallant effort and for his commitment to living a healthier lifestyle," USA Wrestling Executive Director Rich Bender said in a statement. "He is a great champion and will continue to be an asset for USA Wrestling and Team USA through the Olympic Games and beyond." (Reporting By Gene Cherry in Salvo North Carolina; Editing by Greg Stutchbury) Tweet this Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints We welcome comments that advance the story through relevant opinion, anecdotes, links and data. If you see a comment that you believe is irrelevant or inappropriate, you can flag it to our editors by using the report abuse links. Views expressed in the comments do not represent those of Reuters. For more information on our comment policy, see http://blogs.reuters.com/fulldisclosure/2010/09/27/toward-a-more-thoughtful-conversation-on-stories/ Comments (0) Be the first to comment on reuters.com. Add yours using the box above.

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