Mary Lou Retton facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mary Lou Retton
Retton as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 2004
Personal information
Nickname(s)	America's Sweetheart
Country represented	United States
Born	(1968-01-24) January 24, 1968 (age 57) Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S.
Height	4 ft 9 in (145 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Club	Karolyi Gym
Former coach(es)	Bela Károlyi, Márta Károlyi
Retired	September 29, 1986
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 2 2 American Cup 3 0 0 Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1984 Los Angeles All-around Silver 1984 Los Angeles Team Silver 1984 Los Angeles Vault Bronze 1984 Los Angeles Uneven bars Bronze 1984 Los Angeles Floor exercise American Cup Gold 1983 New York All-around Gold 1984 New York All-around Gold 1985 Indianapolis All-around

Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is a famous American retired gymnast. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition. She also earned two silver medals and two bronze medals.

Mary Lou Retton's amazing performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. Her gold medal win was historic because she was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics.

Early Life and Gymnastics Beginnings

Mary Lou Retton was born on January 24, 1968, in Fairmont, West Virginia. Her father, Ronnie, ran a business that provided equipment for the coal industry.

When Mary Lou was eight years old, she watched Nadia Comăneci compete in the 1976 Summer Olympics on TV. This inspired her to start gymnastics in her hometown. She later moved to Houston, Texas, to train with Béla and Márta Károlyi. These coaches had also trained Nadia Comăneci.

Rising Star in Gymnastics

Under the Károlyis, Mary Lou quickly became well-known in the U.S. She won the American Cup in 1983. She also came in second at the US Nationals that same year. Even though she missed the World Gymnastics Championships due to a wrist injury, she won other important competitions. These included the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, and Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983.

Mary Lou Retton performing on a balance beam in 1985.

Olympic Glory in 1984

After winning her second American Cup, the U.S. Nationals, and the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984, Mary Lou faced a challenge. She had a knee injury that required surgery just five weeks before the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. This was the first time the Summer Olympics had been held in the United States in 52 years.

Mary Lou recovered just in time for the Olympics. In the competition, she was in a very close battle for the all-around gold medal with Ecaterina Szabo from Romania. Mary Lou was behind Szabo with two events left. But she scored perfect 10s on both the floor exercise and the vault. Her vault performance was especially dramatic because of worries about her knee injury.

Mary Lou won the all-around gold medal by a tiny margin of 0.05 points. She became the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win this individual all-around gold. She was also the first American woman to be an Olympic all-around champion. This was a special honor she held alone for many years. Other American gymnasts like Carly Patterson (2004), Nastia Liukin (2008), Gabby Douglas (2012), Simone Biles (2016 and 2024), and Sunisa Lee (2021) later won this title.

At the same Olympics, Mary Lou won four more medals. She earned silver medals in the team competition and the horse vault. She also won bronze medals in the floor exercise and uneven bars. Because of her amazing performance, Sports Illustrated Magazine named her "Sportswoman of the Year." She also appeared on a Wheaties cereal box and became the cereal's first official spokeswoman.

In 1985, Mary Lou won the American Cup all-around competition for the third and final time. She officially retired from gymnastics in 1986.

Life After Gymnastics

After her gymnastics career, Mary Lou Retton remained a public figure. She supported the Reagan administration and appeared in TV ads for Ronald Reagan. She also delivered the Pledge of Allegiance at the 2004 Republican National Convention.

President Ronald Reagan and Mary Lou Retton with the U.S. Olympic Team in Los Angeles, 1984.

Awards and Recognition

Mary Lou Retton's hometown, Fairmont, West Virginia, named a road and a park after her. In 1985, she received the Golden Plate Award from the American Academy of Achievement.

She was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1993, a sports study by the Associated Press showed she was one of the most popular athletes in America. In 1997, Mary Lou was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. In January 2020, she became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.

Spokesperson and Appearances

Mary Lou Retton has been a spokesperson for many companies. She appeared in advertisements for the U.S. drugstore chain Revco in the 1990s. She was also the first female athlete to be pictured on the front of a Wheaties box. General Mills, the company that makes Wheaties, said sales improved after she appeared on the box. More recently, she became a spokesperson for a pain relief cream called Australian Dream.

Health and Family Life

Mary Lou Retton was born with hip dysplasia, a condition that was made worse by her years as a competitive gymnast. She had several hip replacement surgeries to help with the pain.

In 1990, she married Shannon Kelley. They had four daughters: Shayla (born 1995), McKenna (born 1997), Skyla (born 2000), and Emma (born 2002). McKenna and Emma both became NCAA gymnasts in college. Mary Lou and Shannon divorced in February 2018.

In October 2023, Mary Lou Retton became very ill with pneumonia. Her daughter shared that Mary Lou needed help with medical costs. She returned home later that month to recover. She said her recovery would be a long and slow process.

Film and TV Appearances

Mary Lou Retton has appeared in various films and TV shows:

• 1985: ABC Funfit; she hosted short segments about physical fitness.
• 1988: Scrooged (comedy film); she played herself.
• 1992: Knots Landing (TV drama series); she played herself in an episode.
• 1993: Baywatch (TV series); appeared in the episode "The Child Inside."
• 1994: An Evening at the Improv (comedy TV series); she played herself.
• 1994: Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (comedy film); she played herself.
• 2002: Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop (PBS TV series).
• 2014: RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called"; she made a cameo appearance.
• 2018: 27th season of Dancing with the Stars (competition TV series); she competed with partner Sasha Farber.

See also

In Spanish: Mary Lou Retton para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for the United States
• List of Olympic medal leaders in women's gymnastics