Shannon Miller facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Shannon Miller
Miller at the Art of the Olympians in Fort Myers, Florida in July 2015
Personal information
Full name	Shannon Lee Miller
Country represented	United States
Born	(1977-03-10) March 10, 1977 (age 48) Rolla, Missouri, U.S.
Height	5 ft (152 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1989–1997 (USA)
Club	Dynamo
Former coach(es)	Steve Nunno, Peggy Liddick
Retired	August 20, 2000
Medal record International gymnastics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 2 3 World Championships 5 3 1 Goodwill Games 2 3 0 Pan American Games 4 1 0 Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around (OG/WC) 3 3 2 Uneven Bars (OG/WC) 1 1 1 Balance Beam (OG/WC) 2 1 0 Vault (OG/WC) 0 0 0 Floor Exercise (OG/WC) 1 0 1 Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  United States Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Team Gold 1996 Atlanta Balance Beam Silver 1992 Barcelona All Around Silver 1992 Barcelona Balance Beam Bronze 1992 Barcelona Team Bronze 1992 Barcelona Uneven Bars Bronze 1992 Barcelona Floor Exercise World Championships Gold 1993 Birmingham All Around Gold 1993 Birmingham Uneven Bars Gold 1993 Birmingham Floor Exercise Gold 1994 Brisbane All Around Gold 1994 Brisbane Balance Beam Silver 1991 Indianapolis Team Silver 1991 Indianapolis Uneven Bars Silver 1994 Dortmund Team Bronze 1995 Sabae Team Goodwill Games Gold 1994 St Petersburg Balance Beam Gold 1994 St Petersburg Floor Exercise Silver 1994 St Petersburg All-Around Silver 1994 St Petersburg Vault Silver 1994 St Petersburg Uneven Bars Pan American Games Gold 1995 Mar del Plata Team Gold 1995 Mar del Plata All Around Gold 1995 Mar del Plata Uneven Bars Gold 1995 Mar del Plata Floor Exercise Silver 1995 Mar del Plata Vault

Shannon Lee Miller, born on March 10, 1977, is a famous American former artistic gymnast. She was a world champion in 1993 and 1994. Shannon also won a silver medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics and a gold medal on the balance beam at the 1996 Olympics. She was a key member of the "Magnificent Seven" team that won gold at the 1996 Olympics.

Shannon Miller is one of the most successful U.S. gymnasts in Olympic history. She has seven Olympic medals. Only Simone Biles has won more Olympic medals for the U.S. in gymnastics. Between 1991 and 1996, Shannon won 16 medals at World Championships and the Olympics. This makes her one of the most decorated American gymnasts ever. At the 1992 Summer Olympics, she won five medals, more than any other American athlete there.

Early Life and Training

Shannon Miller was born in Rolla, Missouri. Her family moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, when she was just six months old. She started gymnastics when she was five years old. When she was nine, she traveled to Moscow with her mother for a gymnastics camp.

As a teenager, Shannon went to Edmond North High School. The school had a special program that allowed her to train, travel, and compete. Her mother worked as a bank vice president. Her father was a professor at the University of Central Oklahoma.

Gymnastics Career Highlights

Early Success: 1989–1991

For most of her career, Shannon was coached by Steve Nunno and Peggy Liddick. Peggy later became the national coach for Australia's women's gymnastics team.

When Shannon was 12, she placed third at the 1989 Olympic Festival. This event was for new, talented athletes. In 1990 and 1991, she competed in Europe. She earned perfect 10s on the balance beam at the Swiss Cup and the Arthur Gander Memorial. At the 1991 Gander Memorial, she won the all-around title. Her score was the highest ever for an American woman under the old 10.0 scoring system.

At her first World Championships in 1991 in Indianapolis, Shannon won two silver medals. She earned one on the uneven bars and another in the team competition.

Olympic Journey: 1992

Shannon missed the 1992 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships due to an injury. She still competed in the Olympic Trials and won. This was a bit surprising because her rival, Kim Zmeskal, was the 1991 world champion.

At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Shannon had the highest score in the team competition. This helped the U.S. women's team win a bronze medal. She also made it to the all-around final as the top gymnast. In the all-around final, she came very close to winning gold, missing it by a tiny amount.

She won three more individual medals at these Olympics. She earned a silver on balance beam and bronzes on uneven bars and floor exercise. Her five Olympic medals were the most for any American athlete at those Games. Shannon was one of only two female gymnasts to compete in every event final. She performed all her routines without big mistakes. Most of her routines scored 9.9 or higher.

Shannon Miller holds the record for the most medals won at a single Olympic Games without winning a gold medal.

World Champion: 1993 and 1994

At the 1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Birmingham, Shannon won every event in the first rounds. Experts said she was as dominant as Nadia Comăneci in 1976. Shannon won the all-around title. She also won gold medals on bars and floor.

At the 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Brisbane, Shannon won the all-around title again. She was the first American gymnast to win back-to-back world all-around titles. She also won the balance beam title that year.

Later in 1994, at the Goodwill Games, Shannon won gold medals on beam and floor. She also earned silver medals on vault and bars. Two weeks later, at the 1994 National Championships, she won five silver medals. She placed second to Dominique Dawes in each event.

Road to Atlanta: 1995–1996

In 1995, Shannon won the American Classic. However, she lost the 1995 National Championships to 13-year-old Dominique Moceanu. At the 1995 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan, she had the highest score for the American team. She placed seventh on uneven bars and fourth on balance beam.

Even with a wrist injury and a pulled hamstring, Shannon won the 1996 National Championships. She had to miss the World Championships and Olympic Trials due to her injuries. But because she was the top performer at Nationals, she was still chosen for the Olympic team. Her injuries healed enough for her to compete in her second Olympics.

Shannon led the American team, known as the Magnificent Seven, to a gold medal. This was a very close win over the Russian team. Kerri Strug got a lot of attention for her brave vault on an injured foot. But Shannon was the team's highest scorer. She placed second after the team competition, qualifying for her second Olympic all-around final.

In the all-around final, Shannon finished eighth. She was the highest-ranking American in that competition. She also became the first American to win the balance beam final at the Olympics. She was also the first American woman to win an individual gold medal in a fully attended Olympics. She ended her amazing career with seven Olympic medals.

After the Olympics: 1997–2000

After the Olympics, Shannon and her teammates went on a big tour. She competed in her last international meet in 1997. There, she won the all-around title at the World University Games.

In 2000, Shannon tried to make a comeback for the 2000 Summer Olympics. She competed in the Olympic Trials. After a fall on vault, she decided to stop competing, even though her doctor said she could continue.

Honors and Recognition

Shannon Miller is a member of many Halls of Fame. These include the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame, the United States Olympic Hall of Fame, and the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She is the only woman in any sport to be in the United States Olympic Hall of Fame twice. She was inducted as an individual and as part of her team.

With seven Olympic and nine World Championship medals, Shannon is one of the most decorated American gymnasts. She is tied with Nastia Liukin for the third most World Championship medals (9) won by an American gymnast. Only Simone Biles and Alicia Sacramone have more.

In 1998, the Oklahoma Legislature named a part of Interstate 35 in Edmond, Oklahoma, the Shannon Miller Parkway in her honor.

Life After Gymnastics

Miller in 2014

In 2003, Shannon graduated from the University of Houston. She earned a degree in marketing and entrepreneurship. She then went to Boston College Law School and graduated in 2007. However, she decided not to become a lawyer. She moved to Florida. There, she visited gyms, taught beam clinics, and appeared in workout DVDs.

In 2015, Shannon started a business partnership with Juice Plus for a line of healthy supplements. Also in 2015, her autobiography was published. It is called It's Not About Perfect: Competing for My Country and Fighting for My Life.

Shannon Miller is the president of Shannon Miller Lifestyle. She also leads the Shannon Miller Foundation. This foundation works to help fight childhood obesity.

Personal Life and Health

Shannon Miller married John Falconetti in August 2008. John is the president of Drummond Press. They have two children. Their son, John Rocco, was born in October 2009. Their daughter, Sterling Diane, was born in June 2013.

In February 2011, Shannon shared that she had been diagnosed with a type of ovarian cancer. This was after doctors removed a large cyst from one of her ovaries. She had chemotherapy treatments from March to May 2011. In September 2011, her doctor said she was healthy.

Images for kids

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  Miller at the Art of the Olympians in Fort Myers, Florida in July 2015

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  Olympic rings

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  Miller in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Shannon Miller para niños