Bruce Jenner wins decathlon gold

There was a time when Olympic athletes were true amateurs, carrying day jobs while training on the side.

After finishing 10th in the decathlon in the 1972 Munich Games, Bruce Jenner knew he couldn't win a gold medal that way, so he flipped his priorities – training eight hours a day while his then-wife Chrystie supported them on her stewardess' salary. By the time he arrived in Montreal in the summer of 1976, Jenner was the world record holder in the decathlon and the clear favorite to win, which he did by a comfortable 207-point margin.  

After Jenner crossed the finish line in the 1,500 meters to clinch gold, someone thrust an American flag into his hands and Jenner took off on a glorious victory lap that's never ended. From the cover of the Wheaties box to Erik Estrada's replacement on CHiPs, Jenner's milked what he accomplished during those two days in Montreal into a lifetime of celebrity that, nearly 30 years later, has landed him a seat at the head of the Kardashian's dinner table.