Kingpin bows out

ATHENS -- The only People magazine-style celebrity that Greco-Roman wrestling has ever had walked to the center circle of the mat, sat down, removed his size 13 shoes, placed them in the circle, and then stood up, bowing and waving to the crowd while clutching an American flag. Rulon Gardner, age 33, was ready to find out what the world has to offer a great ex-wrestler in possession of a quick mind, two Olympic medals, and, of course, nine toes.

"I started putting the shoes on as a little 4- or 5-year-old kid," he said. "I took 'em off as a 33-year-old kid."

He also took them off as a bronze medalist, an achievement that may be even more impressive than the feat that originally made him famous.

Four years ago, Rulon Gardner made an astonishing jump from unknown niche athlete to A-list celeb by defeating a wrestling icon named Alexsandr Karelin in the gold medal match of the 120-kilogram Greco-Roman competition in Sydney. People did not know then, and do not know now, anything whatsoever about Greco-Roman wrestling (an ancient discipline in which all holds below the waist are barred), but that did not matter. All anyone knew was that an affable farm boy from a small town in Wyoming had knocked off a monstrous Siberian who had not lost in 13 years, and who, they learned, had been regarded as the single most invincible athlete in the Olympic Village. That made Rulon Gardner someone to celebrate. He was given the honor of carrying the American flag at the closing ceremonies, and then off he went to chat with Leno, Letterman, Conan, Oprah, and Rosie, to name a few.

In March 2002, Rulon Gardner entered into American mythology. The long and the short of it is that he was out snowmobiling with three friends in Wyoming's Bridger-Teton National Forest and almost died. He was looking for a companion down in a gully and he couldn't get out. He spent the night at approximately 2,500 meters above sea level without shelter, and by the time he was rescued by helicopter at 7:15 the following morning, he was suffering from frostbite. The middle toe of his right foot was amputated, and he has lost much of the sensation in his other toes.

But Rulon Gardner wasn't done being tested. His marriage dissolved (although he subsequently remarried). There was a motorcycle accident. Earlier this year, he dislocated his right wrist playing in a pickup basketball game just days before the national championships.

It's been a tumultuous four years: Sometimes good, sometimes bad, but never dull.

All the while, Rulon Gardner kept pointing to Athens, even as a lot of people asked, "Why?" Beating Karelin was the apex of any heavyweight wrestler's career. What did he have to prove?

"Back in 1996, I made an eight-year commitment," he explained. "I don't look at not winning the gold here as tarnishing what happened in Sydney. I look at as finishing off the goal. I gave 100 percent, every day I was on the mat."

He did so, knowing that he was not 100 percent, and never could be. Losing a toe matters. Period. End of story. Not having that toe, and losing the sensation in the ones he has left, may very well have contributed directly to his defeat in his semifinal match yesterday morning. Tied at 1-1, he was thrown by a 265-pound, 23-year-old wrestler from Kazakhstan named Georgi Tsurtsumia, losing, 4-1.

"Rulon's weakness was accentuated," explained US coach Steve Fraser. "His balance was off from that accident. The toes play a big part, as you can guess, in balance."

"It was a great move on his part," Gardner explained. "I made one mistake. It was probably a difference of three inches."

The hope for a second gold was lost, but Gardner hardly seemed shattered.

"He was disappointed, sure," Fraser said. "But he took it well. He said, `I got beat. I made a mistake. What can you do?' "

You do what a pro would do: You get ready for the next match. Approximately eight hours later, Rulon Gardner was ready to go out on the mat for the last time. Win or lose, he was retiring. Win or lose, he would be honoring the great tradition of removing his shoes to signify there would be no more. His opponent would be another 23-year-old behemoth, a 6-foot-7-inch Iranian named Sajad Barzi. Gardner knew he would be a difficult foe.

"I told him he had overcome adversity the last four years, and that this was just one more step, and he deserved it [i.e. the medal]," said Fraser. "He just nodded and said, `You're right.' "

Rulon owned the match. He had a 1-0 lead by the 30-second intermission, picked up a second point midway through the second three-minute period, and a third a bit later on a takedown. The Iranian, who was constantly warned about this or that throughout the match, ended it by moaning to the official. He had been beaten by a wilier, tougher, more determined opponent 10 years his senior. He didn't seem to know what had happened.

To Gardner's way of thinking, this was a mission accomplished.

"To me, to come back and get a medal here -- even if it was a bronze -- is great," he said. "I have no regrets. I made one mistake, and I lost a chance for the gold. But I'm happy with the bronze. It's time to move on."

Fraser spoke emotionally about all that Rulon Gardner has done for Greco-Roman wrestling, but the fact is there will be no significant bounce for the sport. There will always be those dedicated few who love it, and there will always be those millions upon millions who will ignore it.

Rulon Gardner was sui generis He did not just win a gold; he did so by defeating a true living legend. And when it turned out that he could really think on his feet, and that he came from a family and circumstance that was a slice of Americana (one of nine children born to Mormon farmers in Afton, Wyo.), he was an easy sell to the American public. Ready or not, he was an instant commercial commodity, America's first marketable Olympic wrestler.

"It's tough to think of yourself as being a celebrity when you're down there sweating on the mat," he said. "You're beaten up and battered all the time. You think of how you used to wrestle with your brothers. There was very little transition from zero to 100 miles an hour."

Rulon Gardner is the first Greco-Roman wrestling celebrity, and surely the last. If he handles his return to anonymity as well as he handled his ascent to stardom, he'll be just fine.

Bob Ryan is a Globe columnist. His e-mail address is ryan@globe.com.