Caitlyn Jenner Biography

Fast Facts

• Named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1976
• Was an Olympic decathlon winner in 1976
• Inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 and the National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980
• Recipient of the 1976 James E․ Sullivan Award, an honor bestowed on America's top amateur athlete
• Earned a football scholarship to Graceland University in Iowa, where she would go on to train on the school's decathlon team
• Diagnosed with dyslexia as a child, she credits the disorder with her success, stating, "My greatest gift in life was being dyslexic․ It made me special․ If I had not been dyslexic, I wouldn't have needed sports․"
• Participate in the 1972 Olympics in Munich and later the 1976 games in Montreal, competing in the decathlon
• Quote: "[on transitioning from male to female] "I have nothing left to hide ․․․ To be able to wake up in the morning, be yourself, get dressed, get ready to go out, and just be like a normal person․ That's a wonderful feeling to go through life․""
• Quote: "I have high hopes that Caitlyn is a better person than Bruce․ I'm very much looking forward to that․"
• Gained fame with a new generation of fans after agreeing to appear on "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," a 2007 reality program chronicling the hijinks of her extended family and step-children
• After earning a gold medal at the 1976 Olympics, she would go on to receive widespread attention, earning numerous national honors and celebrity-like fame
• a February 1980 People Magazine article, stated clearly that Jenner auditioned for but, in fact, was never offered the role of "Superman․"
• A member of the Republican Party, she ran as a replacement candidate in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election
• An avid aviator for years, she founded Bruce Jenner Aviation, a company that sells aircraft supplies to corporations
• The July 2015 Vanity Fair magazine cover photograph of Caitlyn Jenner marks the first time a transgender person has made the magazine's cover
• Ceremoniously chosen by the Kansas City Kings in the NBA Draft in 1977, despite not having played basketball since high school
• Continued to sell insurance on the side while competing during the Olympics in the late 1970s