Column: The greatest upset in Olympic history has Carson connection

It has been heralded as one of the greatest upsets in Olympic history and compared to the "Miracle on Ice", the United States' win over the Soviet Union in 1980 in ice hockey.

But Dr. Gerrie Gardner and her family knew that Rulon Gardner was capable of doing something special. The Greco-Roman wrestler did just that when he defeated three-time defending gold medalist Alexander Karelin 1-0 to win the super heavyweight gold medal at the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia.

Dr. Gardner, a cardiologist with Sierra Nevada Cardiology Associates in Carson City who lives in Minden, is the older sister of Rulon Gardner. She and many of her family members were there in Sydney to watch her younger brother win the gold.

"I knew he would get in the gold medal match," Dr. Gardner said. "He has a whole long list of credits to his name."

Among his accomplishments was winning the title at the Pan American Games.

But no one expected Gardner to beat Karelin, who had never lost in international competition and hadn't even been scored upon in a decade.

A party for Karelin was already being held an hour before the match began. International Olympic Committee chairman Juan Antonia Samaranch came to the match to award Karelin the gold.

"I'm sure they were totally appalled to give this farm boy a medal," Dr. Gardner said.

When asked if she believed that the thought it was a foregone conclusion that Karelin would win the gold was motivation for her younger brother, Gardner said,

"No question. Karelin came to the match with a huge responsibility and a huge weight on his shoulders."

Gardner said her younger brother's mental and physical strength and his stamina allowed him to win the gold.

"I can't even describe it," said Gardner about watching her younger brother win the gold. "It's the best wrestling match I've ever watched.

"I'm sure having us there screaming like crazy helped him out. It made a huge difference for him."

Karelin also looked over at her younger brother's family in an annoyed fashion, Gardner said. "I think he was looking over at me," she said.

But Gardner said Karelin is a nice man, who praised the improvement her younger brother had made earlier in the year.

In Russia and surrounding countries, everyone was watching the match. When Karelin lost, Gardner said she was told that everyone in those countries "was crushed."

For Gardner's younger brother, he was scheduled to appear on Jay Leno Wednesday and on David Letterman tonight.

Gardner's description of her brother when he was younger sounds like the Biblical description of meekness, which is strength under control.

"He's the one that brought the stray cats and dogs home," Dr. Gardner said. "He had to learn to be mean. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body."