Mary Lou Retton
Mary Lou Retton wowed the world with her all-around performance at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, which was another gold for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team. It was the first time that an American woman won the all-around during her time, and it has certainly not been the last. A couple of years later, she retired and became a motivational speaker and a television commentator. She wrote an inspiring book in 2000, where she shares her formula for happiness. Retton has been living a rewarding life as a wife, mother, sports commentator, and motivational speaker in Houston, Texas. Retton is also a spokesperson for a national educational program sponsored by Pfizer that aims to raise awareness of overactive bladder (OAB). Most notably, she was also a competitor on Dancing with the Stars in 2018, but she eliminated early on.
Mary Lou Retton
Kerri Strug
Kerri Strug didn’t disappoint the Americans’ hope for gold, as she is one of the “Magnificent Seven” during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. It was during the finals when she injured herself, yet she overcame that and took gold in the team event. Strug’s story helped her to become a national heroine because of overcoming that difficulty to help win the gold was one of the most memorable of the tournament that year. Kerri was up last on vaults as the team competition neared its end. After shocking spectators by falling and injuring her ankle on her first vault, she managed to perform the landing on her second vault before collapsing in pain, helping to secure gold for the American team. Kerri was then eighteen years old when she became the front page of newspapers around the world and led her into the spotlight. Now retired, she became an elementary school teacher, a correspondent for later Olympics, and more. She currently resides in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona, with her husband and their child.
Kerri Strug