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A lot has changed for Caitlyn Jenner, 66, since she won Olympic gold 40 years ago as decathlete Bruce Jenner.
Marking the anniversary of her win, the I Am Cait star graced the cover of the recent Sports Illustrated wearing her gold medal from the 1976 Summer Olympics (with a sequined jumpsuit.)
It’s the first time Jenner has worn the medal in 40 years—the last was when she stood on the podium after winning gold in the decathlon in Montreal.
In the accompanying interview, Jenner made the surprising confession she began considering plastic surgery at just 27, which she says was a result of her gender dysphoria. Now, while she’s had a breast augmentation, she’s won’t say whether she plans to have gender reassignment surgery: ‘It’s nobody’s business.”
But she did speak about her new world, saying in the past 12 months since transitioning to a woman, she’s “happier than I’ve ever been in my life.”
Jenner, who triumphed with a record breaking feat at the ’76 Olympics, said she believes the work she is doing now as an advocate for the transgender community is much more important than any of her sporting achievements.
“Sports. It’s not real life,” says Jenner. “What I’m dealing with now, this is about who you are as a human being. What did I do for the world in 1976, besides maybe getting a few people to exercise a little bit? I didn’t make a difference in the world.”
Jenner told The Sydney Morning Herald in April, “For the first time in my life I don’t feel like I’m waking up in the morning lying,” but at the same time she admitted her toughest challenge was saying goodbye to Bruce, who “was a good person.”
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