Gardner Is Hospitalized

Rulon Gardner, whose “Miracle on the Mat” victory in Greco-Roman wrestling made him the American darling of the 2000 Summer Olympics, was hospitalized early Friday morning for hypothermia and possible frostbite after spending the night outside when he became stranded while snowmobiling near his hometown of Afton, Wyo.

Gardner spent the night in temperatures near 20 degrees below zero after getting stuck in deep snow in the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Lt. Tim Malik of the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Dept. said.

Three friends who had been out with Gardner reported him missing at 7:40 p.m. Thursday, but rescuers on snowmobiles and snowshoes could not find him.

Gardner, wearing several layers of clothing but still an inadequate amount for a night spent outdoors, was spotted by a search plane Friday at about 8 a.m., Malik said. Authorities were concerned when Gardner could not get up to gather extra clothing dropped to him by a helicopter.

“He had so much ice on his feet, I don’t think he was able to walk,” said Lincoln County Sheriff Lee Gardner, a distant cousin of the Greco-Roman gold medalist.

“In that kind of weather, it’s unusual for someone to stay out all night like that and survive without any kind of shelter,” he said. “But he’s a strong man, and he made it.”

Gardner was flown by helicopter to Star Valley Medical Center in Afton and later transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, where hospital officials, acting on the family’s request, would not comment on the wrestler’s health.

Reading from a statement, Gardner’s brother, Russell, said: “I’ve just come from seeing Rulon and we are very optimistic about his condition and recovery.” A news conference to update Gardner’s condition is scheduled for today.

Gardner’s friends left the forest because they were running out of gas for their snowmobiles, Malik said.

Unable to free his snowmobile from the steep terrain, Gardner moved out on foot and was found the next morning in the Salt River drainage, about five miles southeast of the town of Smoot.

“He had moved down that drainage several miles in the night,” said Benton Smith, a spokesman for the Bridger-Teton National Forest.

At the Sydney Olympics, Gardner stunned three-time gold medalist Alexander Karelin of Russia to pull off one of the greatest upsets in U.S. Olympic history. Karelin had not lost an international match since 1987.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.