Olympic Torch carried by Caitlyn Jenner in 1984 set to reach $20,000 at auction

She has been hailed as a "pioneer and centrepiece of the evolving global transgender conversation"

Caitlyn Jenner

The Olympic Torch carried by Caitlyn Jenner at the 1984 Summer Olympics is set to sell for $20,000 at a sports auction.

Jenner came to international attention by winning the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Summertime Olympics in Montreal, where she was given the moniker of ‘world’s greatest athlete’.

She pursued an incredible career as an athlete, beating world records and winning events during the Cold War.

“Perhaps no athlete in history has travelled a more winding road through the various states of celebrity than Jenner,” said Chris Ivy, Director of Sports Auctions at Heritage, who is auctioning the torch.

“From All-American sports star to patriarch of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, the world’s most famous reality television family to her current status as the pioneer and centrepiece of the evolving global transgender conversation.

“This is the first major piece of Jenner memorabilia to surface, and we expect collectors every bit as significant as we think it is.”

The seller is Bob Lorsch, a Los Angeles philanthropist and entrepreneur who recruited Jenner to run part of the Lake Tahoe relay, which he had organised.

The celebration of Jenner’s Olympic legacy is well-overdue. Since beginning her transition in April, Jenner has been hit by a petition calling for her to be stripped of her medals earned while she identified as Bruce.