Caitlyn Jenner Looks Back On Her Gold Medal Win

Ever since her televised interview with Diane Sawyer in 2015, Caitlyn Jenner has been incredibly candid not only about being a trans woman, but subsequently, her life after coming out. As evidenced by Sports Illustrated's July issue, which honors the 40th anniversary of Jenner's gold medal Olympic decathlon win, she has certainly left that line of communication open. In the interview, Jenner opens up about her feelings towards Bruce, and it's eye-opening.

Even though she was the object of many affections and the envy of others in 1976, Jenner explains that she felt anything but physically perfect. Her feelings on this matter don't come as too much of a shock. The reality star has made it known, as Sports Illustrated remarks, that her "complex relationship" with the gold medal "commemorates extraordinary work that allowed her to withstand the pain of what is now called gender dysphoria but then was seldom talked about at all." Jenner told Sports Illustrated of her physique:

"It disgusted me. I was big and thick and masculine. The rest of the world thought it was this Greek god kind of body. I hated it. But it’s what I was given, so I just tried to do the best I could with it."

But she went on to say, "I’m very proud of that part of my life. And it’s not like I just want to throw it out. It’s part of who I am."

Jenner noted that being "Bruce," the face of that gold medal win, wasn't all pain. In fact, she talked about "Bruce" like one might about an old friend. Jenner told the publication, "I loved Bruce. I still love him today."

She went on to say about her appreciation of Bruce,

"I like what he did and the way he set an example for hard work and dedication. I’m proud of that part of my life. But this woman was living inside me, all my life, and it reached the point where I had to let her live and put Bruce inside. And I am happier, these last 12 months, than I’ve ever been in my life."

Judging by Jenner's words, for her, it's not about forgetting Bruce, but simply acknowledging that Bruce Jenner was the past. The point is though, that Caitlyn Jenner is the present.