Gardner's finale - As good as gold

ATHENS, Greece -- He left his shoes in the middle of the mat, maybe a piece of his heart, too. Rulon Gardner finally let his emotions out after trading Olympic gold for bronze, and the tears he cried weren't of sadness.

Gardner, so poised and dispassionate hours before, following the biggest loss of his life, became teary-eyed Wednesday after one of the most surprising gold medalists in Olympic history settled for a bronze on his return trip to the games.

His last one, too. After wearing down Iran's Sajad Barzi for a 3-0 victory and the Greco-Roman wrestling bronze at 264 1/2 pounds, Gardner sat down on the mat, an American flag draped in his arms, and took off his shoes in the traditional sign of retirement. Tears streamed down his cheeks as he carried the flag around the arena.

A 4-1 overtime loss to Kazakhstan's Georgi Tsurtsumia earlier meant he couldn't duplicate the gold he won in Sydney by beating the greatest wrestler ever, Russian Alexander Karelin, in his sport's upset of the century.

"I came back and won a medal. Even though it's bronze, I have no regrets because I gave 100 percent in every match," Gardner said. "I didn't leave anything on the mat."