EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- The stars seem to be aligned for Track Town 2012 as Olympic gold medalist Bruce Jenner, 62, arrived in town Friday morning. The 1976 decatholon star arrived at the Inn at the Fifth just before 11:00 AM with his sons Brody and Brandon. The family checked into their hotel and then made their way to Le Bar next door for lunch.
The Jenners are well known for appearances in MTV's "The Hills" but more so for their roles on "Keeping up with the Kardashians". Bruce is married to Kris Kardashian and is stepdad to Rob, Kim, Kortney and Khloe Kardashian.
"I'm coming back to track and field - God's country right now. This is hallowed ground," said an emotional Jenner as he began talking to local media.
Jenner told NewsSource 16 about his history here in the Willamette Valley. "Three out of the five greatest performances of my life happened here. First, in 1972, I came here as a nobody - literally, a nobody - wasn't even ranked as a Top Ten in the US. I came out of nowhere. I had to beat this guy by eighteen seconds in the 1500 meter and I ran an eight-second personal best, beat him by 21 seconds, snuck into third and made it to the '72 team," recalled Jenner. Four years later, in 1976, Jenner returned and beat a world record.
"The times in between were a lot of hard work. I mean, that's how you prepare for this thing. It doesn't get a lot of exposure but at the (Olympic) Games, it's the big one and to be able to make it, to be called the 'world's greatest athlete . . ." he said.
Jenner remembered working many hours every day to train for his event. In 1976, he won the gold medal in the decathlon and set the world record by more than 8,000 points. Since then, Jenner has been ranked 25th as a world all-time star and the ninth American all-star. Beyond winning numerous awards and titles, Jenner was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986.
Being in Eugene, though, he agreed it's always kind of been his lucky charm. "I guess it is. I should have moved here after that, huh? I would have done better for myself," he laughed.
Regardless, Jenner was willing to share some advice with athletes just starting out their Olympic careers: cherish the accomplishments acheived. "It's a great fraternity. And very difficult to get on - into that fraternity. To me, that was the reward," he said.
Bruce, Brody and Brandon Jenner are scheduled to leave Eugene on Saturday.
