Caitlyn Jenner Wears Gold Medal and Nude Jumpsuit for 'Sports Illustrated' Cover, Celebrates 40-Year Anniversa
Caitlyn Jenner is looking back at her big win at the 1976 Olympics.
The 66-year-old reality star celebrated the 40-year anniversary of winning the Olympic decathlon by wearing her gold medal on the cover of Sports Illustrated, along with a classy nude, sequin jumpsuit. "So excited to relive my gold medal journey with @SINow!" Caitlyn tweeted on Tuesday. "Can’t believe it’s been 40 years!"
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While only 22 people in the world have achieved such a feat, the I Am Cait star seems to have mixed emotions about her victory. Caitlyn reveals to the sports publication that she keeps her medal in her "nail drawer," and calls the competition a "perfect distraction."
"The medal, it was great for the kids at show-and-tell," she says with a shrug.
"Sports. It's not real life," Caitlyn continues. "You go out there, you work hard, you train your a** off, win the games. I’m very proud of that part of my life. And it’s not like I just want to throw it out. It’s part of who I am."
"For those two days in July of 1976, I was the best in the world at what I did," she recalls. "On the other hand, the decathlon was my best friend, and that was over. I lost my beard."
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Decades later, Caitlyn says being a voice for the transgender community means far more to her than winning the gold. "What I’m dealing with now, this is about who you are as a human being," she explains. "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."
Caitlyn says that while she was living as Bruce Jenner for most of her life, she was always "female inside."
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"My life was distraction after distraction after distraction," she says. "Being a macho male was a way for me to try to convince myself that the woman living inside of me really isn’t living inside me. ...Obviously, it didn’t work."
That being said, Caitlyn still has fond memories from her life as Bruce. "I loved Bruce. I still love him today. I like what he did and the way he set an example for hard work and dedication. I’m proud of that part of my life," she admits. "But this woman was living inside me, all my life, and it reached the point where I had to let her live and put Bruce inside. And I am happier, these last 12 months, than I’ve ever been in my life."
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