Retton, Mary Lou (1968-…), an American gymnast, was a star of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California. At the games, Retton became the first American woman to win the Olympic gold medal in the gymnastics all-around event. She also won silver medals in the team competition and the vault, and bronze medals in the floor exercise and uneven bars.
Retton’s success in the 1984 games and her wholesome and outgoing personality made her one of the most popular American sports personalities of her time. She twice received a perfect score of 10 in competitions. Retton is credited with being a pioneer in making women’s gymnastics a major sport in the United States.
Retton was born on Jan. 24, 1968, in Fairmont, West Virginia, and began gymnastics as a child. In 1983, she moved to Houston, Texas, to train with the famous Romanian gymnastics coach Béla Károlyi. Under Károlyi’s guidance, Retton won several important all-around events, taking the titles at the U.S. Nationals in 1984 and at the American Cup, a major international tournament, in 1983, 1984, and 1985. She retired in 1986. Retton was the youngest person and first gymnast inducted into the United States Olympic Committee Hall of Fame in 1985. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
