[31] At the 1972 U.S. Olympic Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, Jenner was eleventh after the first day in the men's decathlon,[32] and climbed to fifth behind Steve Gough and Andrew Pettes with one event remaining on the Fourth of July.

[43][44] San Jose athletics centered on SJCC coach Bert Bonanno; at that time, the city was a hotbed for training and was called the "Track Capital of the World".

[40] Many other aspiring Olympic athletes also trained at San Jose; the list included Millard Hampton, Andre Phillips, John Powell, Mac Wilkins, and Al Feuerbach.

[47][48] While on tour in 1975, Jenner won the French national championship,[49] and a gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games, setting the tournament record with 8,045 points.

[31] At the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, Jenner achieved personal bests in all five events on the first day of the men's decathlon – a "home run" – despite being in second place behind Guido Kratschmer of West Germany.

[3][35][37][55][56] Olympic world record performance:[57] After the event, Jenner took an American flag from a spectator and carried it during the victory lap, starting a tradition that became common among winning athletes.

[58][59] Abandoning the vaulting poles in the stadium, with no intention of ever competing again, Jenner stated that: "In 1972, I made the decision that I would go four years and totally dedicate myself to what I was doing, and then I would move on after it was over with.

During the Cold War in 1972, three major Olympic titles that had a long history of American success – basketball, the 100-meter dash, and decathlon – were won by Soviet athletes.

"[37] Tony Kornheiser of The New York Times wrote that along with their wife, Chrystie, Jenner was "so high up on the pedestal of American heroism, it would take a crane to get them down.

[37] Jenner was also selected by the Kansas City Kings with the 139th overall pick in the seventh round of the 1977 NBA draft despite not having played basketball since high school.

[75][76] The publicity stunt was executed by team president/general manager Joe Axelson to mock the Kansas City Chiefs' yearly claims that they planned on selecting "the best athlete available" in the National Football League Draft.

[84] During the 1981–1982 season, Jenner became a semi-regular cast member in the police series CHiPs, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish for six episodes, substituting for star Erik Estrada, who was locked in a contract dispute with NBC and MGM.

[87] The "hero shot", the finish of the final event of the 1976 Olympic decathlon, and the Wheaties cover, were parodied by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live, endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts".

[89] Jenner has appeared in a variety of game shows and reality television programs, including starring with Grits Gresham in an episode of The American Sportsman.

[94] She also partnered with Tai Babilonia for Skating with Celebrities[95] in a series that aired January – March 2006 (they were eliminated during the fifth of seven episodes), served as a guest judge on Pet Star on Animal Planet.

[104] Like Can't Stop the Music, the film won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture and swept every Razzie category.

[105] In September 2016, Jenner appeared in the Amazon Prime TV series Transparent in a dream sequence during the season three episode "To Sardines and Back".

[17] Jenner had a short career as a race car driver in the IMSA Camel GT series (International Motor Sports Association) in the 1980s.

[110] Jenner's first victory came in the 1986 12 hours of Sebring in the IMSA GTO class driving the 7-Eleven Roush Racing Ford Mustang with co-driver Scott Pruett.

[118] The team lasted just one year before the series folded midseason, though their driver Jamie Chadwick was declared the champion as the points leader when the final races were canceled.

[39] Jenner was the business development vice president for a staffing industry software application known as JennerNet, which was based on Lotus Domino technology.

While married, Jenner was also the step-parent to Kris's children from her previous marriage – Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob – who star in Keeping Up with the Kardashians.

[147][148][149] Jenner recounts having permission to explore her gender identity on her travels but not when they were coupled, and not knowing the best way to talk about the many issues contributed to the deterioration of the 23-year-long marriage, which ended formally in 2015.

[154][155] Before her 20/20 interview, a two-part special titled Keeping Up with the Kardashians: About Bruce was filmed with the family in which she answered questions, and prepared her children for the personal and public aspects of the transition.

[160] The Daily Beast wrote that Jenner's honesty, vulnerability, and fame may have caused "cheap jokes" about trans people to "seem mean to a mainstream audience on an unprecedented scale".

Beginning in September 2015, she was depicted on the satirical American animated program South Park, which parodied her supporters' political correctness, as well as her driving record.

"[184] Jenner also received criticism from individuals such as actress Rose McGowan, for stating – in a BuzzFeed interview[185] –  that the hardest part about being a woman "is figuring out what to wear".

[194] She signed with Creative Artists Agency's speakers department and will collaborate with the CAA Foundation on a philanthropic strategy focusing on LGBT issues.

[210] In 2022, Jenner said that trans swimmer Lia Thomas was not the "rightful winner" of the NCAA Division I women's 500-yard freestyle event, adding "It's not transphobic or anti-trans, it's COMMON SENSE!".

[230][231][232] In February 2017, President Trump rescinded federal requirements giving transgender students the right to choose the school restroom matching their gender identity.