Bruce Jenner crossed the finish line and won the gold medal in the men’s decathlon at the Summer Olympics in Montreal exactly 40 years ago.
(Photo: Getty Images/Tony Duffy /Allsport)
Jenner, who was 26 at the time, was proclaimed “the world’s greatest athlete.” (RELATED: Caitlyn Jenner: ‘Hillary Clinton Couldn’t Care Less About Women’)
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Jenner had previously qualified for the Olympics in 1972 and finished tenth in the men’s decathlon.
“For the first time, I knew what I wanted out of life and that was it, and this guy has it,” Jenner said. “I literally started training that night in midnight, running through the streets of Munich, Germany, training for the Games.”
“I trained that day on through the 1976 Games, 6-8 hours a day, every day, 365 days a year.” (RELATED: Caitlyn Jenner: Donald Trump Is Better For Women Than Democrats)
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“In 1972, I made the decision that I would go four years and totally dedicate myself to what I was doing, and then I would move on after it was over with. I went into that competition knowing that would be the last time I would ever do this.”
Jenner — who is now “for all intents and purposes, a woman” — went on to secure several endorsement deals after his win, from Wheaties to Tropicana.
(Photo: Jonathan Leibson/Getty Images for AOL)
“After the Games were over,” Jenner added. “I happened to be the right guy, at that right place, at that right time.” (RELATED: Caitlyn Jenner: ‘I Get More Flak For Being Conservative Than Being Transgender’)
(Photo: Getty Images)
Jenner now keeps the Olympic gold medal in a “nail drawer.” (RELATED: Caitlyn Jenner Celebrates His First Year As A Woman)
“What I’m dealing with now, this is about who you are as a human being,” Jenner said. “What did I do for the world in 1976, besides maybe getting a few people to exercise a little bit? I didn’t make a difference in the world.”