Last Updated on September 13, 2024
Who is Caitlyn Jenner?
Caitlyn Marie Jenner is a retired gold-winning Olympic decathlete and media personality. After a knee injury that forced the athlete turned television personality to quit football, she took the advice of decathlete coach L.D Weldon. She tried out a career in the Decathlon.
This advice led to Caitlyn’s six-year-long career as a decathlete. Peak moments in her career include winning the men’s decathlon event at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, setting a third successive world record, and gaining fame as an “all-American hero.”
Since her retirement as an Olympian, Caitlyn has explored a career in television, film, and writing. She’s an entrepreneur and auto racer as well.
In April 2015, Caitlyn came out publicly as a transgender woman. She announced her new name via the Vanity Fair issue (2015), where she was made the cover girl, accompanied by the headline, “Call me Caitlyn.” She also starred in her reality TV show called “I am Cait” on E! She documents her life and transition into a woman in the TV series.
Since her transition, Caitlyn has been dubbed the most famous trans woman globally. Although many do not welcome her views on transgender issues, Caitlyn has a substantial army of supporters.
Quick Facts
| Full Name: | Caitlyn Marie Jenner |
| Popular Name: | Caitlyn Jenner |
| Gender: | Female |
| Birth Date: | October 28, 1949 |
| Age: | 73 years |
| Parents: | Esther Ruth and William Hugh Jenner |
| Siblings: | N/A |
| Birth Place: | Mount Kisco, New York |
| Nationality: | American |
| Ethnicity: | English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch and Welsh Descent |
| Education: | Newtown High School, Graceland University |
| Marital Status: | Chrystie Crownover (m.1972; div.1980), Linda Thompson (m.1981; div 1986), Kris Kardashian (m.1991; div.2014) |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Wife/Spouse: | N/A |
| Children: | Burt Jenner, Cassandra Marino, Brandon Jenner, Brody Jenner, Kendall Jenner, Kylie Jenner |
| Dating: | N/A |
| Net Worth: | USD 100 million |
| Source of Wealth: | Olympic Competitions, Media |
| Height: | 6ft2 (1.88m) |
| Weight: | 88kg |
Early Life and Career Information
Caitlyn Marie Jenner was born on October 28, 1949, in Mount Kisco, New York, as William Bruce Jenner, her name until her coming out in April 2015. She was born to Esther Ruth and William Hugh Jenner, an arborist. Diagnosed with Dyslexia as a child, Caitlyn attended Sleepy Hollow High School for her freshman and sophomore years and Newton High School for her junior and senior years.
Earning a football scholarship, Caitlyn was able to attend Graceland College (now Graceland University) in Lamoni, Iowa, where he received a degree in Physical Education. The reality TV show star intended to continue playing football but was deterred by a severe injury he sustained on his knee. Recognizing the potential in Young Caitlyn, track coach L.D Weldon encouraged her to try out the ten events sports.
In 1970, Caitlyn debuted as a Decathlete in the Drake Relays Decathlon in Des Moines, Iowa. He finished fifth place. Caitlyn was brought to the limelight by her stellar performance at the 1972 US Olympic Trials. She started as the eleventh place in the first event and finished first place, twenty-two seconds ahead of others, by the end of the final event.
Her performance at the Trials prompted the question “Who is Jenner?” and of course, she qualified for the 1972 Olympic Team. Caitlyn was not very pleased with her performance at the 1972 Summer Olympics at Munich, West Germany, where she finished tenth place. Immensely inspired by Mykola Avilov’s performance (the Decathlon winner at the 1972 Olympics), Caitlyn decided to commit himself to hardcore training, stating that “for the first time, I knew what I wanted out of life…I literally started training that night at midnight, running through the streets of Munich, Germany…I trained that day on through 1976 Games, six to eight hours a day, every day, three hundred and sixty-five days a year.”
In 1974, Caitlyn was the American champion in the men’s decathlon event and was featured on the cover of Track and Field News magazine. In 1975, Caitlyn won the French National Championship while on tour, and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games, setting a tournament record with 8,045 points.
She made world records with 8,524 points at USA/USSR/Poland triangular meet and 8538 points at the Olympic trials in Eugene. After the 1967 Olympic Games, Caitlyn retired as an athlete stating that “In 1972, I made the decision that I would go for four years, dedicating myself to what I was doing and then I would move on after it was over with.”
By the end of her career in sports, Caitlyn was considered a national hero and received James E. Sullivan Award as a top amateur athlete in the US. She was named Associated Press Male Athlete of the year in 1976 and was inducted into the United States National Hall of Fame in 1980.
Caitlyn’s first marriage was to Chrystie Crownover, her college sweetheart. In 1972. The couple lived in San Diego together with their four children. Although Bruce (now Caitlyn) earned money as an Olympian, this wasn’t enough to support his family since the Olympics took place in four-year intervals.
Chrystie made most of the family’s income while Caitlyn supported her by selling insurance at night. The couple split in 1980. On Caitlyn’s issues with gender, Chrystie recalls being shocked when her ex-husband revealed to her in their first year of marriage that he was struggling with gender identity issues. Nevertheless, Crownover confirmed that it never became an issue in their marriage and was not the cause of their split.
By January of 1981, Caitlyn was married for the second time to American Actress and beauty pageant winner Linda Thompson. Thompson recalls that Caitlyn wanted to transition at a point in their marriage but stay married to her. The pair ended up splitting less than a year later, in 1986.
Caitlyn’s third marriage was to Kris Kardashian. She married the mother of four in 1991, seven months after they began dating. The couple had two children together. During her marriage to Kris Jenner, Cait starred as the patriarch in the popular reality TV show, Keeping Up with the Kardashians.
In 2013, Kris and Caitlyn announced that they were separating after almost twenty-three years of marriage. Many guessed their split resulted from Caitlyn’s gender issues, but the couple insists that they had irreconcilable problems, none of which include Caitlyn’s gender identity crisis.
After their split, Caitlyn became more open about her struggles with gender identity and her intention to transition to a female. When she eventually transitioned, Cait became a hero for transgender men and women in the US.
She appeared in Glamour magazine for being the woman of the year, calling her a “Trans Champion.” She won the “Social Media Queen” at the Teen Choice Awards and the “Courage Award” at the Espy Awards.
Net Worth
Caitlyn has been able to amass a whopping net worth of $100 million. Her sources of income include income from Olympic Competitions, her work in television, and brand sponsorships.
Lessons From The Life Of Caitlyn Jenner
Choose Bravery
Although Caitlyn Jenner admits that “it’s harder to get your bearings at age of sixty-five after a lifetime of secrets,” she was brave and did what she needed to do to come in touch with the most authentic version of herself.
Selflessness
In her speech at the Espy Awards, Caitlyn clarified that she represents not just herself but all the other trans men and women worldwide. She said, “call me names, make jokes, doubt my intentions… but for the thousands of kids out there, coming to terms with who they are, they shouldn’t have to take that.”
