As he was growing up and grappling in Afton, Rulon Gardner had one goal: Winning the state championship.

In 1989, he accomplished that goal wrestling for Star Valley High School.

Gardner then went on to accomplish a few other things on the mat like winning the NCAA title in 1991, taking first at the World Championships in 2001 and winning an Olympic Bronze medal in 2004.

He also defeated Aleksander Karelin, an opponent who had never lost and was considered unbeatable, in 2000's "Miracle on the Mat," earning Olympic Gold in the process.

But it was the title he won in 1989 that was on Gardner's mind Friday afternoon as he relaxed poolside at Casper's Radisson Hotel.

"It's fun to come back," he said. "With the memories and everything else it is pretty amazing."

Gardner was in Casper for the All State High School Wrestling Tournament, where he appeared in the March of Champions and signed autographs Friday evening.

This year's tournament concludes today in the same arena, the Casper Events Center, that Gardner claimed victory 16 years ago.

It was only the second time that Gardner had been to the state tournament since 1989, but now that he has retired from wrestling, he hopes to be able to make it to the tournament every year.

"My goal is to come back and someday come here every year and be a part of the state championships and promote the sport of wrestling in the state of Wyoming," Gardner said.

The gold medalist wants to promote his sport because of the discipline and self-control it teaches those who participate in it, he said.

"When you don't win a match, you can't blame it on your teammates," he said. "You can't say it is not my fault. It kind of depends on you. Wrestling is not about just winning titles and Olympic Games, it is about the challenge of going out there and taking a challenge on and I did that for many years as a wrestler."

Now that he has retired, Gardner said he misses some aspects of competition but not the stress associated with constantly pushing himself to be the best in the world.

"I have to change my life from all those years of being an athlete to being a civilian, to being able to relax and have a good time and not be stressed and worried," Gardner said.

Retirement, however, has not seemed to make Gardner any less busy.

In addition to making personal appearances at wrestling events, Gardner works as a motivational speaker, is looking to open a 24 Hour Fitness franchise in Logan, Utah, and has recently written his autobiography, "Never Stop Pushing," which is due out this summer.

"It's going to discuss all the things I went through in my life and how when you stay on track you will be successful," Gardner said. "What I did to overcome all the different challenges and obstacles that I have had in my life."

Gardner also has found time to work as a commentator for Real Pro Wresting, a sports league in which competitors grapple according to amateur rules and where there is no predetermined outcome, he said.

And earlier this year, he was victorious in a mixed martial arts match up against an Olympic gold medalist in judo.

Although Gardner learned a lot competing in a sport with a much different mentality than wrestling, he does not plan to compete in any other mixed martial arts contests any time soon.

Gardner is also not interested in following fellow Olympic gold medalist Curt Angle to the ranks of professional wrestling, he said.

"After 2000 they offered me $1.5 million a year and then this year they went in and gave me another substantial offer with a big signing bonus and an opportunity to go in and try it if I want to," Gardner said.

But Gardner turned them down, he said.

"I want to be a positive impact for the kids and represent wrestling and that lifestyle and its amateur status," he said. "That is what I want to keep it to."

Although there is no question Gardner has the physical ability to perform in the squared circle of sports entertainment, the humble and honest manner in which he carries himself does not seem as if it would lend itself well to an industry where everyone is told to speak of themselves in the third person.

"The last thing I want to do is go out there and be a jerk," he said when asked if he has embraced being a role model. "I am going to be the person I am. I am going to be the person I was born and raised the 29 years of my life before I won a gold medal. I am not going to change. I don't think a gold medal makes me anything better or any worse or anything besides a human being.

"I still see myself as a small-town kid from Star Valley and my goal was to win the state championship," he said.

Staff writer Brendan Burke can be reached at (307) 266-0589 or Brendan.Burke@casperstartribune.net.