Colorado Springs plays host to international sporting events

After securing a bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics, American wrestler Rulon Gardner walked away from the mat for the final time, leaving his shoes behind as a symbol of his retirement. It seemed a fitting end to his legendary career, an emphatic punctuation mark for a man who had shocked the sports world in 2000 by dethroning Russian champion Alexander Karelin for Olympic gold.

But like so many elite athletes, Rulon couldn't stay away. Following a stint on the hit TV show "The Biggest Loser" (and losing 173 pounds), Gardner relocated to Colorado Springs in 2011 and began training for a return to the sport that had made him famous.

On Jan. 28, at the ripe age of 40, Gardner took to the mat once again at the Kiki Cup, an international wrestling duel held at the Olympic Training Center. Gardner finished the day 4-0 and feeling good about where he is.

"My performance today, I felt was pretty good," Gardner said to the Colorado Springs Gazette. "For me to be able to come back here to get back into the sport of wrestling after eight years, this has been a pretty amazing experience."

With weight still to be shed, and the United States Olympic wrestling trials fast approaching in April, Gardner's comeback is far from complete. But it's a start.

In Colorado Springs, stories like these are common, as the city is home to the United States Olympic Committee, as well as the national governing bodies of over 20 sports.

Aside from wrestling tournaments, Colorado Springs annually hosts multiple other international sporting events. The next high profile event coming to Colorado Springs is the Four Continents Figure Skating Championships, held at the World Arena and World Arena Ice Hall from Feb. 6-12.

The Four Continents Figure Skating Championships is a competition that pits the top figure skaters from North America, Asia, Australia and Africa against one another. This year's event features a strong field that includes multiple American champions, Olympic medalists and 2011 Colorado Springs trained world champion, Canadian Patrick Chan.

This month, the Olympic Training Center will also play host to the Olympic Boxing trials, slated to take place from Feb. 27-March 2.

For students who are interested in Olympic sports at the highest level, there are few locations better than Colorado Springs. With a plethora of Olympic athletes living and training within the city, opportunities to watch international events are never in short supply.