New York – Caitlyn Jenner appears on the cover of Sports Illustrated (SI) carrying the gold medal she won in the decathlon of the 1976 Olympic Games.
Forty years after setting a world record and winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics, Jenner is featured on the cover of the magazine, as part of the “Where are they now” special issue.
Previous reports suggested that she would appear nude, only wearing her medal. Instead, posed in a gold jumpsuit by Alice + Olivia, showing off her well-earned gold medal.
The first appearing also commemorates the first time Jenner was pointed for the cover of SI, on August 9, 1976, right after the remarkable athletic achievement. At the time, like Bruce, he was proclaimed “the world’s greatest athlete’ and became a celebrity.
Years later, 66-year-old Jenner went back to the highlights after staring at successful reality TV show ‘Keeping Up With The Kardashians’ and announcing in 2015 the transition that would transform him into a woman, now know as Caitlyn. The TV star talked with SI about her feelings about herself during that time of his life.
It is the second time ever Jenner shows her medal in public
Jenner told SI her relationship with the medal was complex. She keeps it in a wooden box in her closet, and thinks about it as the reward for the “extraordinary work that allowed her to withstand the pain of what is now called gender dysphoria but then was seldom talked about at all.”
She said during the interview that, at the time, she thought her body was disgusting, and hated it, because it was too big and masculine. But she saw it as a way to convince herself she was a man and not a woman. The success winning the decathlon brought her a distraction that kept her from thinking about her internal identity struggles.
She also punctuates the importance she considers her achievement had, stating that she was just doing sports. She worked hard for it, and she is proud of what she did, but right now she is focusing on herself as a human being, and contributing to the world, having in mind especially the transgender community.
Caitlyn stated that she has no hard feelings against Bruce because he is a really important part of her life. During that lifetime, a woman was living inside his body, so she let her out and leave Bruce inside, for good, making her the happiest she has been in her entire life.
After 40 years of winning the Olympic Games, she wore once again the medal around her neck. She saw this cover photo as an opportunity, not only to show herself as an aging athlete but to bring attention and awareness as an American transgender around the gender dysmorphia condition.
She hopes that audiences understand her statement and her intentions.
Source: LA Times