Dianne Durham facts for kids

Dianne Patrice Durham (born June 17, 1968 – died February 4, 2021) was an amazing American gymnast. She made history in 1983 by winning the top award at the US National Championships. She was the first African American gymnast to win this important title!

Dianne was also the first top gymnast coached by Béla and Márta Károlyi in the United States. These famous coaches had trained Nadia Comăneci in Romania. Dianne also trained with Mary Lou Retton, who was another famous gymnast. Mary Lou even called Dianne her "best competition."

Sadly, injuries kept Dianne from competing in the 1984 Summer Olympics. She stopped competing in 1985. Later, she owned a gymnastics school called Skyline Gymnastics in Chicago.

Dianne's Gymnastics Journey

Dianne Patrice Durham was born on June 17, 1968, in Gary, Indiana. Her parents were Ural and Calvinita. Dianne started gymnastics when she was only four years old. Her parents wanted to help her use up her energy! She first trained with Wanda Tomasi-Mohoi.

Training with Famous Coaches

In 1981, Dianne won the junior elite all-around title at the US National Championships. After this, she moved to Houston, Texas. She went there to train with the famous coaches Béla and Márta Károlyi.

Dianne's first coach, Wanda, told Dianne's mom that Dianne was good enough for the Olympics. She needed to train at a top facility. The Károlyis had just moved from Romania. They were known for coaching Nadia Comăneci, an Olympic star. Dianne was one of the first six gymnasts they chose for their new program in the U.S. Her success quickly showed everyone that the Károlyis could train champions anywhere.

At first, Dianne lived with the Károlyi family. Then she lived with a host family. Her mother later joined her in Houston.

Her Amazing Competitions

Dianne won the junior national all-around title again in 1982. She also did very well at an international competition, tying for first place.

In 1983, Dianne won the senior all-around title at the US National Championships. This was a huge moment! She was the first African American woman to win this title in gymnastics. She also won individual titles on the uneven bars, floor exercise, and vault. She was the first American woman to do a difficult move on the vault called a "full-twisting layout Tsukahara." Dianne later said that she saw these wins as steps toward her main goal: the Olympics.

Later in 1983, Dianne beat Mary Lou Retton to win another big competition. Mary Lou was also coached by the Károlyis and was Dianne's friend. But Mary Lou also said Dianne was her "best competition." Sadly, injuries stopped Dianne from competing in the 1983 World Championships.

After recovering from her injuries, Dianne left the Károlyi program in early 1984. She trained with a new coach in Fort Worth, Texas. But after a tough competition, the Károlyis asked her to come back. She agreed, hoping to make the Olympic team.

At the tryouts for the 1984 Summer Olympics, Dianne was doing well. Many expected her to make the team. She would have been the first Black gymnast to compete for the United States at the Olympics. But she hurt her ankle on the vault and had to stop. She thought she would still be chosen for the team.

However, Dianne later learned she couldn't be on the team because she hadn't competed in the 1983 World Championships. She wished someone had told her this earlier. Béla Károlyi was very upset. He felt it was unfair that the national champion from the year before couldn't join the team. He said, "She was the first Black kid to ever make it to a national title. This is a pretty big injustice." But the USA Gymnastics Federation did not change their decision. Dianne stopped competing in 1985.

Here are some of her achievements:

• Years on USA Senior National Team: 1983-1985
• Years on USA Junior National Team: 1981-1982
• USGF All-around Championships:
  • 1983 Senior All-around Champion
  • 1981 and 1982 Junior All-around Champion

After Competing

After she stopped competing, Dianne became a gymnastics coach. She coached for the Károlyis and at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She also performed in professional shows. For 17 years, she owned and ran her own gymnastics school, Skyline Gymnastics, in Chicago. She also became a gymnastics judge and a speaker who inspired others.

Dianne was honored for her achievements:

• In 2015, she joined the Indiana Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
• In 2017, she joined the U.S. Gymnastics Regional Hall of Fame.
• In 2021, she was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Dianne was also featured in a video art piece in 2020. The video showed Black gymnasts from around the world just before their routines. Dianne was the first image shown, ready for her floor routine.

Personal Life

Dianne lived in Chicago with her husband, Tom Drahozal. They married in 1994.

Dianne P Durham passed away on February 4, 2021, after a short illness. She was 52 years old.

Dianne was the aunt of Michael Woods II. He is a professional football player for the Cleveland Browns.

See also

In Spanish: Dianne Durham para niños