Dominique Moceanu
Dominique Moceanu, eldest daughter of two athletic Romanian immigrants, she was thought to be destined to follow the footsteps of her parents. At age three, gymnastics introduced to her until she became the youngest to compete for a medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta by being part of the “Magnificent 7”, which is also the United States’ first-ever Olympic Team that won the gold. Shortly after her 14th birthday, she arrived in Atlanta, winning gold in the all-around competition. Unfortunately, because of a bone chip in her right knee, Moceanu forced to retire only four years later. She then wrote a book about how training so hard from such a young age affected her. Moceanu published her Memoir “Off Balance” in 2012. And in 2016, Dominique had a cameo as herself in the gymnastics related movie, “The Bronze”.Dominique had a dream come true with the establishment of The Dominique Moceanu Gymnastics Center that designed to combine the principles of Yoga and Gymnastics. She named the yoga studio after her daughter, Carmen. It offers yoga lessons for adults and children, summer camps, empowerment workshops, and birthday parties.
Dominique Moceanu
Matt Biondi
Matt Biondi’s first Olympics was in 1984, where he won gold. He was overshadowed in his generation by Mark Spitz. Biondi has eleven Olympic medals, and eight of those are gold, one less than Spitz. Aside from competitive swimming, he also played water polo. Biondi swam at the Olympic games from 1984 to 1992, yet another athlete who decided to stay in his craft. His wife persuaded him to finish his studies. Biondi now lives a quiet life with her and their kids in California, where he is also a math teacher. Biondi did not only focus on the academic aspect of his students’ lives, after classes, he also coaches the swim team, passing on his skills beyond the water, which are teamwork, discipline, hard work, dedication, and determination.
Matt Biondi