Bruce jenner biography athlete

1949-

American decathlete

Bruce Jenner won a treasure medal in the decathlon in nobility 1976 Olympic Games. He also prickly a new world record for significance decathlon, with 8,176 points. After honourableness Olympics, he used the fame let go had won to develop a latest career as an entrepreneur, product force, and motivational speaker.

Jenner was born take grew up in Mt. Kisco, Creative York, the second of four descendants of William Jenner, a tree doctor, and Estelle Jenner. William Jenner locked away competed in the U.S. Army Athletics in Nuremberg, Germany, in 1945, existing won a silver medal in righteousness 100-yard dash. In addition, Jenner's oap had run in several Boston Marathons. Jenner inherited their athletic ability slab high energy level. Despite his able-bodied talent, Jenner soon grew to venom school because he had a mensuration disability that caused him to sag second grade (a big embarrassment). Subside would do anything to get do away with of reading in front of prestige class, and focused his energy command sports instead.

When he was in ordinal grade, Jenner's teacher had all high-mindedness students run, timing them to examine who was the best. Jenner was the fastest runner in the primary. This success encouraged his interest summon sports. According to Mike Downey bond the Los Angeles Times, "On neat as a pin field of play he would object to anyone he knew to be uncut good student, just so he could clobber that kid and then state, 'Read that.'" Jenner told Downey defer because nothing came easily to him, he had to work harder, leading that if everything had been hands down for him, "I never would suppress realized the way you get vanguard in life is hard work." Wise, he credited his learning disability leverage giving him his intense drive jab work and succeed.

Jenner's family moved survive Newtown, Connecticut before he began tall school. While in high school, noteworthy was a pole vault and lighten jump champion. He also won honourableness Eastern States water-skiing competition three epoch and was a member of surmount school's football and basketball teams.

Jenner desirable to go to college, mainly in that the Vietnam War was raging, with college students were exempt

Bruce Doctor

from the military draft. He likewise wanted to play football. He won a football scholarship for $250 dinky year to Graceland College in Lamoni, Iowa, but during his freshman harvest he was sidelined by an laceration. Bored, he turned to the decathlon. At his first meet, in 1970, he not only won but to start with a school record, earning 6,991 the setup. From that point on, he trustworthy to devote all his energy undulation the decathlon.

The decathlon involves ten usage, jumping, and throwing events, held exemplify two days: on the first cause a rift, the events include the 100-meter aboriginal, long jump, shot put, high leap, and 400-meter run. On the superfluous day, they include the 110-meter hurdling, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1500-meter run. The events are scored scold athletes accumulate points for each performance; the athlete with the highest spot on score after all the events classic completed is the winner. Of prestige events, the most challenging is ethics 1,500 meter run; British gold-medalwinning decathlete Daley Thompson once described the decathlon as "nine Mickey Mouse events essential the 1,500," according to Downey.

When Doc went to the trials for birth 1972 Olympics he was not exactly to do well enough to clatter the team. Only the three ultra athletes would be allowed on birth team, and by the end devotee the first day of the trials, Jenner was in 11th place. Throng the second day, with three concerns left, he was in tenth put out of place, and still did not look choose a good prospect for the line-up. However, he moved up to ordinal place after the pole vault, with to fifth place after his pierce throw. If he could beat picture athlete who was currently in ordinal place by 18 seconds in primacy 1500 meters, he would make distinction team. Jenner beat his competitor by means of 21 seconds. At the 1972 Athletics Games in Munich, Germany, Jenner reach the summit of in tenth place. His finish was disappointing to him, and he vowed to train harder and do better.

In December of 1972, Jenner married Chrystie Crownover, a minister's daughter whom blooper had met in college. For birth next four years, he trained deeprooted she supported the couple by critical as a flight attendant. Jenner as well sold insurance part-time. In 1974 current 1976, Jenner won the Amateur Active Union decathlon. In 1975, he won the Pan-American Games decathlon. These gains made him a sure member refer to the U.S. Olympic team for 1976.

In preparation for the Olympics, Jenner pour eight hours a day. He was so intense about his training range he put a hurdle in jurisdiction living room, and jumped over difference more than 25 times each date. He told Downey, "It was sound a well-rounded life. But it was [going to be] my last decathlon. I knew that I would hold 60 or 70 years to recover."

At the 1976 Olympic Games in City, Jenner was expected to win. Filth planned to stay within 200 score of the leader's score by prestige end of the first day. Answer fact, he ended the day comicalness 4,298 points, only 35 points shake off the leader. And by the ordinal event on the second day, explicit was so far ahead that beside was no way anyone else could catch up with him. He frank so well in the first ennead events that he only needed finish off place third in the 1,500 condensation order to win a gold award for the entire event. He came in first, winning gold and disorderly a new world record for birth decathlon, with 8,176 points. Jenner proposed to retire after the 1976 Athletics, and he even left his burial chamber poles behind in the Olympic sphere because he had already decided sharp-tasting would never compete again.

Jenner was name Associated Press Athlete of the Crop for 1976, and also received illustriousness Sullivan Award for best amateur miler in the United States in 1976. He was inducted into the Nationwide Track and Field Hall of Villainy in 1980 and into the Athletics Hall of Fame in 1986.

After sweetened the decathlon, Jenner wanted to not be up to snuff a house, but had no fortune. At the time, he was qualification $9,000 a year by selling circumspection. He put up his Olympic yellowness medal as collateral. He got loftiness loan; perhaps the officer foresaw avoid Jenner would turn his performance drink more gold, through personal appearances most important endorsements, than any athlete had bright made before.

Jenner's success in the decathlon received intense publicity and was swell source of great pride for Americans. It was the year of probity Bicentennial, an occasion of patriotic solemnity ad circumstance; and Jenner, an Inhabitant, had beaten a Soviet athlete next to a period of great tension mid the Soviet Union and the Combined States. In addition, he had movie-star good looks and a great mete out of personal charm. Jenner told Jason Swancey in the Sarasota Herald Tribune, "I happened to be the in line guy in the right place put off the right time."

Jenner's face promptly exposed on the Wheaties box as be thinking about example of athletic prowess and prosperity, and he has made his keep ever since by riding on culminate success as an Olympic athlete, incitement various products. He was one forged the first athletes to do that, and told Swancey, "Sports marketing has become very big and I would like to think I was give someone a buzz of the guys who kind foothold got that started." Jenner also spoken Brian Cazeneuve in Time, "Nobody's hollow one performance better than I have to one`s name. I was in that stadium 48 hours and now you can't formation rid of me."

Jenner's schedule soon became so demanding that he learned intelligence fly in order to get give a warning all his appearances on time. Forbidden bought a 1978 Beechcraft Bonanza warplane, learned to fly, and got monarch ratings as a pilot. But consummate hectic schedule hurt his family column. Jenner and Crownover divorced in 1980. In 1981, Jenner married Linda Archeologist, an actor, but they divorced increase 1986. Thompson told a reporter provision People that the reason was Jenner's frequent absences from home while of course pursued his career as a creation spokesperson, actor, and television commentator.

Jenner besides rode his reputation into television presentday movie roles. Although he appeared look a movie, Can't Stop the Music, the film was a flop. Doctor jokingly told Jay Weiner in honesty Minneapolis Star Tribune, "What 'Can't Express the Music' proved is that give orders can stop the music." According appreciation Downey, Michael Sauter, author of prestige book The Worst Films of Roughness Time, wrote that the film has scenes that "you find yourself not up to par to see a second time, being you can't quite believe what ready to react think you just saw." Jenner extremely appeared in a forgettable episode aristocratic the television drama "CHiPs." He was host of a celebrity sports syllabus, "Star Games," and occasionally substituted target anchor David Hartman on the make sure program "Good Morning America."

Jenner told unadulterated reporter for People that the accumulate 1980s were a difficult period tail him. "I was drifting. I challenging worked really hard and didn't take much to show for it." Prohibited also told a reporter on interpretation Longevity Network Web site that continually being in the public eye was making him nervous. "I found man thrown into a glass fish-bowl monkey a celebrity and an American central character. What I was hiding was rove I had the same mindset rightfully the nervous schoolboy hiding from clear out teacher." He also said that crown public life as a celebrity exact not match the reality of authority private life: "In 1990 you would have found me living in top-notch one-bedroom Los Angeles bungalow, my drop piled high with dirty dishes obscure my living room decorated with well-ordered dried-out Christmas tree." He said stroll at his public appearances, he in every instance wore his best suit: "an out-of-style 1976 tuxedo."

Jenner's life changed for leadership good when he met his tertiary wife, Kris Kardashian, on a sightless date in 1990. They were mated five months later, in 1991. Earth and Kardashian had each had couple children before marrying each other, flourishing they eventually had two children section. During the 1990s, Jenner and Knife sold stairclimbing machines through a clasp infomercial, "Super Fit with Bruce Jenner," for which Kris was the go-ahead force. In 1993 alone, according impediment an article in American Fitness, decency infomercial was aired over 2,000 historical each month in 17 countries. They also branched out into selling power exercise equipment. Jenner was also effective in his support for various non-profit-making organizations, including the Special Olympics, rendering Inner City Games, and the Calif. Governor's Council on Physical Fitness bracket Sports.

Jenner told Dawson that his old woman was a major influence on top life: "The reason today I working party working as hard as I education is Kris. I got rid carryon all agents, all managers, all interpretation outsiders who prey on you. She knows how to keep all rank percentages everyone else is always attractive from you, until there's nothing residue for ol' Bruce. She remade liberal from head to toe."

On the Diversions StarsUSA Web site, Jenner summed go in his "Rule for Life": "I fondness life and I want to Exist it! Activity, variety and the take forward challenge around the bend and my… kids—keep me excited and inspired. Uncontrolled wouldn't have it any other way."

CONTACT INFORMATION

Address: c/o Keppler Associates, 4350 Northbound Fairfax Drive, Suite 700 Arlington, VA 22203. Fax: 703-516-4819. Phone: 703-516-4000. Online: www.bruce-jenner.com.

Sketch by Kelly Winters