Caitlyn Jenner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Caitlyn Jenner
Caitlyn Jenner in 2017
Born	William Bruce Jenner (1949-10-28) October 28, 1949 (age 75) Mount Kisco, New York, U.S.
Other names	Caitlyn Marie Jenner
Alma mater	Graceland College (BS)
Occupation	Media personality athlete
Years active	1970–present
Television	Keeping Up with the Kardashians (2007–2021) I Am Cait (2015–2016)
Political party	Republican
Spouse(s)	Chrystie Crownover ​ ​ (m. 1972; div. 1981)​ Linda Thompson ​ ​ (m. 1981; div. 1986)​ Kris Kardashian ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2015)​
Children	Burt Cassandra Brandon Brody Kendall Kylie
Caitlyn Jenner Sport Country United States Sport Track and field auto racing Event(s) Decathlon College team Graceland Yellowjackets Coached by L. D. Weldon Bert Bonanno Medal record Men's athletics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 1976 Montreal Decathlon Pan American Games Gold 1975 Mexico City Decathlon

Caitlyn Marie Jenner (born October 28, 1949) is an American media personality and a retired Olympic gold medal-winning athlete. Before 2015, she was known as Bruce Jenner.

Jenner played college football but a knee injury led her to try the decathlon. This sport involves competing in ten different track and field events. She had a successful six-year career in the decathlon. This led to her winning the gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. She set a new world record and became famous as an "all-American hero."

After her Olympic success, Jenner started a career in television, movies, writing, and even auto racing. She has six children from three marriages. From 2007 to 2021, she appeared on the reality television show Keeping Up with the Kardashians with her family.

In April 2015, Jenner publicly shared that she is a trans woman. This means she is a woman who was assigned male at birth. She announced her new name, Caitlyn, in July of that year. She is now an activist who works for transgender rights.

Caitlyn Jenner is a member of the Republican Party. In 2021, she ran for Governor of California but did not win. Later, she joined Fox News as a TV commentator.

Early Life and Education

Caitlyn Marie Jenner was born on October 28, 1949, in Mount Kisco, New York. Her parents are Esther Ruth and William Hugh Jenner. Her father was an arborist, someone who cares for trees. Caitlyn has English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, and Welsh family roots. As a child, she was diagnosed with dyslexia, which is a learning difficulty that affects reading.

Jenner went to high school in New York and Connecticut. She graduated in 1968. She earned a football scholarship to Graceland College in Iowa. However, a knee injury stopped her from playing football. Her track coach, L. D. Weldon, saw her potential and encouraged her to try the decathlon.

Jenner started her decathlon career in 1970. She finished fifth in her first competition. In 1973, she graduated from Graceland College with a degree in physical education.

Decathlon Career

Starting Out in Decathlon

At the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials, Jenner was in eleventh place after the first day of the decathlon. She moved up to fifth place by the end of the competition. She needed to do well in the final event, the 1500 meters, to make the Olympic team. She finished first in that race, qualifying for the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany.

At the 1972 Olympics, Jenner finished tenth in the decathlon. Watching the Soviet athlete Mykola Avilov win inspired her greatly. She decided to train very hard. She said she started training that night and continued for four years, 6–8 hours a day, every day.

After college, Jenner moved to San Jose, California. She trained during the day and sold insurance at night to earn money. At that time, Olympic athletes were considered amateurs, meaning they couldn't be paid for their sport. San Jose was known as the "Track Capital of the World" and many Olympic athletes trained there. Jenner's best events were on the second day of the decathlon, including hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and the 1500 meters.

Olympic Gold Medal

Jenner at the 1975 Pan American Games

In 1974, Jenner became the American champion in the men's decathlon. She was featured on the cover of Track & Field News magazine. In 1975, she won the French national championship and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. She also set new world records in 1975 and 1976.

At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Jenner had personal bests in all five events on the first day. She was in second place after day one but felt confident. She knew her best events were on the second day. After a rainstorm, she was careful in the hurdles and discus. Then, she had personal bests in the pole vault, where she took the lead, and the javelin.

Victory was almost certain before the final event, the 1500 meters. This race was shown live on national television. Jenner sprinted the last lap, making up a lot of ground. She won the gold medal and set a new world record with 8,618 points.

Jenner's 1976 Olympic World Record Performance:

Olympic Impact and Legacy

After winning, Jenner took an American flag from a spectator and carried it during her victory lap. This started a tradition that many winning athletes now follow. She decided not to compete again after the Olympics. She had dedicated four years to the sport and was ready to move on.

Jenner became a national hero. She received the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the U.S. She was also named the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1976.

Her 1976 world and Olympic record was broken in 1980. In 1985, her score was reevaluated and updated to 8,634 points. This mark was the American record until 1991. As of 2018, Jenner was still ranked among the top decathletes in the world and U.S.

Jenner has been inducted into several halls of fame. These include the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980 and the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986.

International Competitions

Representing the  United States

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
1972	Olympic Games	Munich, Germany	10th	Decathlon	7722 pts
1975	Pan American Games	Mexico City, Mexico	1st	Decathlon	8045 pts A
1976	Olympic Games	Montreal, Canada	1st	Decathlon	8618 pts

National Events

• 1972 United States Olympic Trials: 3rd place (7846 pts)
• 1974 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships: 1st place (8245 pts)
• 1975 French Athletics Championships: 1st place (8058 pts)
• 1976 United States Olympic Trials: 1st place (8538 pts)

Personal Records

• 100 meters – 10.94 s (1976)
• 400 meters – 47.51 s (1976)
• 1500 meters – 4:12.61 min:sec (1976)
• 110 meters hurdles – 14.84 s (1976)
• High jump – 2.03 m (6.7 ft) (1976)
• Pole vault – 4.80 m (15.7 ft) (1976)
• Long jump – 7.22 m (23.7 ft) (1976)
• Shot put – 15.35 m (50.4 ft) (1976)
• Discus throw – 50.04 m (164.2 ft) (1976)
• Javelin throw (old) - 68.52 m (224.8 ft) (1976)
• Decathlon – 8634 pts (1976)

Life After the Olympics

Olympic Fame and Endorsements

Jenner (right) meets Liberian president William Tolbert at the White House in 1976. United States President Gerald Ford is also present.

In the 1970s, Olympic athletes were not allowed to be paid for their sports achievements. After her gold medal win, Jenner became a huge American hero. She was seen as someone who brought pride back to the U.S. in Olympic sports.

Jenner wanted to use her fame to start a career in entertainment. Her agent believed she had a four-year window to do this before the next Olympics. She was even considered for the role of Superman.

Jenner appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Gentleman's Quarterly magazines. She became a spokesperson for several companies, including Tropicana and Minolta. She was also drafted by the Kansas City Kings basketball team as a publicity stunt, even though she hadn't played basketball since high school.

Wheaties Spokesperson

A throwback Wheaties cereal box featuring Jenner from the 1970s.

In 1977, Jenner became a spokesperson for Wheaties breakfast cereal. She appeared in a photo on the cereal box. She was the second athlete to be featured as a spokesperson for the brand.

Jenner confirmed that she liked and ate Wheaties often. When she came out as a trans woman in 2015, General Mills, the maker of Wheaties, stated that Caitlyn Jenner would continue to be a respected member of "Team Wheaties."

Television and Film Career

Jenner began appearing on television in the mid-1970s. She was a co-host on the show America Alive! in 1978. Her first movie role was in the comedy Can't Stop the Music (1980). She also starred in TV movies like The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980).

From 1981 to 1982, Jenner was a regular cast member on the police series CHiPs. She played Officer Steve McLeish for six episodes. In 1985, she shared her personal experience with dyslexia on an episode of the sitcom Silver Spoons.

Jenner in 1996

Jenner has appeared in many game shows and reality television programs. In the early 1990s, she hosted an infomercial for an exercise machine.

In 2002, Jenner was on an episode of The Weakest Link with other Olympic athletes. In 2003, she was part of the cast of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!. She also made a cameo on The Apprentice in 2005.

Since late 2007, Jenner starred in the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians. She appeared with her family, including her daughters Kendall and Kylie.

In 2011, Jenner had a role in the comedy film Jack and Jill. In 2016, she appeared in the TV series Transparent. In 2019, she participated in the British version of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, finishing in sixth place.

In 2021, Jenner was a contestant on The Masked Singer as "Phoenix." She was the show's first transgender contestant. That same year, she appeared on the Australian show Big Brother VIP. In 2022, Fox News hired Jenner as a TV commentator.

Motorsports Career

Jenner also had a short career as a race car driver in the IMSA Camel GT series in the 1980s. Her first victory was in the 1986 12 hours of Sebring race. She drove a Ford Mustang and won her class. In 1986, she finished second in the championship.

Jenner also won the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race at the Grand Prix of Long Beach in 1979 and 1982. In 2022, Jenner started her own racing team called Jenner Racing. It competed in the all-female W Series open-wheel championship.

Business Ventures

In the early 1980s, Jenner licensed her name for fitness centers called Bruce Jenner's Westwood Centers for Nautilus & Aerobics. She also owned a company called Bruce Jenner Aviation, which sold aircraft supplies.

In March 2016, Jenner became the face of H&M Sport. Later that year, H&M released a short film about her called Caitlyn Jenner's Greatest Victories: A Timeline.

Personal Life

Family

Caitlyn Jenner has been married three times. Her first marriage was to Chrystie Scott from 1972 to 1981. They have two children, a son named Burt and a daughter named Cassandra.

On January 5, 1981, Jenner married Linda Thompson. They have two sons, Brandon and Brody. They separated in 1986. Their sons later appeared on reality TV shows.

On April 21, 1991, Jenner married Kris Kardashian. They have two daughters, Kendall and Kylie. While married, Jenner was also a step-parent to Kris's children from a previous marriage: Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian. The family starred in Keeping Up with the Kardashians. Jenner and Kris separated in 2013 and divorced in 2015.

Politics

Running for Governor

Jenner's gubernatorial campaign logo

In April 2021, Caitlyn Jenner announced she was running for Governor of California. She ran as a Republican in the 2021 California gubernatorial recall election.

Jenner finished in 13th place in the election. She received one percent of the votes.

See also

In Spanish: Caitlyn Jenner para niños

• History of transgender people in the United States
• List of athletes on Wheaties boxes
• List of transgender people