Rulon Gardner

Olympic Channel Releases Trailer for "Rulon Gardner Won't Die"

By United World Wrestling Press

The Olympic Channel has released the trailer for its upcoming documentary on 2000 Olympic gold medalist wrestlers Rulon GARDNER (USA). The film, "Rulon Gardner Won't Die" is set to be released on Wednesday, June 3rd.

From the Olympic Channel press release about the release of the trailer:

MADRID – 13 May 2020  At the Olympic Games Sydney 2000, Greco-Roman wrestler Rulon Gardner beat the world’s most dominant wrestler and three-time reigning Olympic champion, Aleksandr Karelin of Russia, propelling him to stardom. But what came after the ‘miracle on the mat’ was even more unpredictable. Gardner’s incredible story is featured in the upcoming Olympic Channel feature-length documentary, Rulon Gardner Won’t Die, which premieres worldwide on Wednesday, 3 June at olympicchannel.com and on its apps for mobile and connected TV devices.

Rulon Gardner Won’t Die, part of the Five Rings Films collection, tells the inspiring story of Rulon Gardner, the youngest of nine children from a Wyoming farming family, who twenty years ago shocked the world at the Olympic Games in Sydney and became an American icon overnight. Instant fame was then followed by tragedy and adversity including near-death experiences, crushing weight gain and bankruptcy. Now, he’s returned to wrestling as a high school coach and is trying to make sense of his legacy – both as an American icon and a cautionary tale for what can come after a miracle.

“This film is an honest look at not only the success I have achieved, but at the hardships that preceded and have followed my Olympic experience,” said Gardner. “I hope that people watching at home will find their own sources of motivation and determination - especially during tough and unpredictable times like we are going through now - and remember that when you get knocked down, you can always get up and persevere.”

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#WrestleZagreb

Thursday's night women's wrestling semifinals set

By Eric Olanowski

ZAGREB, Croatia (April 20) -- The fourth day of the European Championships in Zagreb, Croatia. Women's wrestling will start off with 53kg, 57kg, 62kg, 65kg and 72kg wrestlers taking the mat.

WATCH LIVE | MATCH ORDER

FULL EUROPEAN C'SHIP SCHEDULE:
- 11:30 - 
Qualification rounds
- 16:45 - Semifinals
- 18:00 - Finals

1:20: That's a quick morning session. We wrapped up the early session in just under two hours. We'll be back for tonight's semifinals at 16:45.

1:10: Here are the semifinals matches (as they come in): 
53kg
Stalvira ORSHUSH (HUN) vs. Maria PREVOLARAKI (GRE) 
Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE) vs. Turkan NASIROVA (AZE)

57kg
Jowita Maria WRZESIEN (POL) vs. Zhala ALIYEVA (AZE) 
Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) vs. Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL) 

62kg
Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) vs. Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL) 
Johanna LINDBORG (SWE) vs. Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) 

65kg
Tetiana SOVA RIZHKO (UKR) vs. Irina RINGACI (MDA) 
Mimi HRISTOVA (BUL) vs. Kriszta Tunde INCZE (ROU) 

72lkg
Dalma CANEVA (ITA)  vs. Buse CAVUSOGLU TOSUN (TUR) 
Alexandra Nicoleta ANGHEL (ROU) vs. Liudmyla PAVLOVETS TYCHYNA (UKR) 


12:58: Malmgren was up 11-6 and then picked up a fall to move into the semifinals against Turkan NASIROVA (AZE).

12:55: Olympic bronze medalist Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL) grabs a 10-0 win and moved into the semifinals. She'll face the winner of Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) and Mathilde Hélène RIVIERE (FRA)

If Hrushyna wins, it'd be a rematch of last years European finals, which was won by the Ukrainian.

12:49: Big matchup going on over on Mat C.  Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE) and Zeynep YETGIL (TUR) are in a 7-4 battle right now as we head into the second period.

12:30: Grace Bullen picked up her second quick 10-0 win. She tech'd Selvi ILYASOGLU (TUR) and Amina Roxana CAPEZAN (ROU) and punched her ticket to the 62kg semifinals.

12:18: There are good and bad parts to having seeded athletes. One of the bad parts is having to wait a few hours before we get to see our superstars compete. Either way, they stars are starting to show up on the match board. Here are a few high-profile athletes coming up soon:

Mat A | Bout 258: Alina HRUSHYNA AKOBIIA (UKR) 
Mat B | Bout 275: Grace Jacob BULLEN (NOR) 
Mat B | Bout 277: Evelina Georgieva NIKOLOVA (BUL) 
Mat C | Bout 289: Irina RINGACI (MDA) 
Mat C |Bout 292: Bilyana Zhivkova DUDOVA (BUL) 
Mat C |Bout 293  Emma Jonna Denise MALMGREN (SWE) 

11:47: Our first qualification match of the morning will take place on Mat A. It'll be Olympic bronze medalist  Iryna KOLIADENKO (UKR) taking on Mariana CHERDIVARA ESANU (MDA) in the first bout of the day.

11:37: Welcome back to the Arena Zagreb for the second day women's wrestling and the fourth overall day of action at the European Championships.We'll start today with a few repechage bouts for those who fell to eventual finalists.