What happened with Mary Lou Retton?

By Jayson Panganiban July 20, 2024 01:44

Photo by USA TODAY Sports

Mary Lou Retton was born to Ronnie and Lois Retton on January 24, 1968, in Fairmont, West Virginia. Retton was first drawn to gymnastics at a very young age, enrolling in dance and acrobatics classes when she was just four years old. She began formal training for future all-around success of her own.

Background and Early Career

Retton's life changed forever in 1983 when she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family so that she could join a training group run by legendary coaches Bela and Marta Karolyi. The gifted young gymnast quickly flourished into a national and international sensation under their intense guidance, sweeping the U.S. Olympic trials en route to securing her place among the 1984 powerhouse U.S. Olympic team members.

Retton's defining moment came at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Although she tore a ligament in her knee just weeks before the Games, the determined 16-year-old battled back to be fit for competition. She faced the Romanian team in a dramatic all-around final, and Retton trailed Ecaterina Szabo by five-hundredths of a point going into the last rotation. Retton led after five rotations and, in doing so, could clinch the gold medal with a perfect ten on her final event. She chose to perform another Tsukahara layout style full twist vault for which she nailed both flip and stuck landing, this time receiving that coveted score. Retton's victory made her the first American woman to win an individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics.

Legacy and Post-Olympic Career

Her Olympic results also sprung her to national fame, turning her into a bonafide American sports hero. In the wake of her gold medal-winning performance, Retton received a trip to Disneyland, a ticker-tape parade in New York City, and an iconic photo on the front of a Wheaties cereal box. She was also named Sportswoman of The Year, Sports Illustrated and the Amateur Athlete of the Year as well.

Aside from all the dazzling quotes, Retton's achievement had real and lasting ramifications on women's gymnastics in America. Her success during the LA Games saw female gymnasts sign up for clubs in her home nation rise over five times faster than before, with enrolments increasing by more than 40 percent year-on-year as eager children all wanted to be like her. Retton, bolstered by her infectious vitality and charisma, made her an instant television star, making the way to American gymnastics heroines like Nastia Liukin, Suni Lee, and Simone Biles.

Retton remained in the public eye even after 1985- when she retired from competitive gymnastics. She had a successful career as a motivational speaker, television commentator, and infrequent actress with TV roles in shows such as "Knots Landing" and "Baywatch." Retton was also inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, a fitting epitaph to one of its most iconic and influential figures following her retirement from competition.

Challenges and Controversies

For the rest of her career, Retton encountered very few major hardships or scandals. However, her journey to the top of the Olympic pedestal was not easy. Just weeks before the Olympics in 1984, she suffered a knee injury that would have cast doubts on any competitor, but she persisted and overcame both this broken-down body part and another generation's steer clear of women's mythology.

Enduring Legacy

Of all of Mary Lou Retton's contributions to the sport and, more importantly, women's sports in general, her legacy will never be forgotten. Retton remained one of Olympic history's most famous and adored figures even after she decided to leave her sport. In 1993, she was voted the "Most Popular Athlete in America" via a network poll directed by the Associated Press, sharing top respects with figure skating legend Dorothy Hamill. Retton's lasting fame and cultural heroism were made even more enduring when, in 2018, she starred on the popular television show "Dancing with the Stars," once again captivating audiences with her positive energy and athleticism.

Mary Lou Retton will always be a household name. Her incredible rise from a small town kid in West Virginia to Olympic gold medalist and American hero is an example that if fighting, working hard, and determination can change one person, then imagine what it could do for an entire nation.