| Mary Lou Retton | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Retton as a member of thePresident's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 2004 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | America's Sweetheart[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1968-01-24)January 24, 1968 (age 58) Fairmont, West Virginia, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 4 ft 9 in (145 cm)[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Karolyi Gym | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Formercoach(es) | Bela Károlyi,Márta Károlyi | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | September 29, 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retiredgymnast. At the1984 Summer Olympics inLos Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals,[2] which earned her theSports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year award.[3]
Retton's performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States.[4] Her gold medal win was historic as Retton was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics.[5][6]
Mary Lou Retton was born on January 24, 1968, inFairmont, West Virginia.[7] Her father, Ronnie, operated acoal-industry transportation equipment business. She attendedFairmont Senior High School, but did not graduate.[8] She competed in the1984 Olympic Games inLos Angeles,California, during her sophomore year of high school.[9]
When Retton was eight years old she was inspired by watchingNadia Comăneci outshine defending Olympic two-event winnerOlga Korbut on television at the1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and she took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia. She was coached by Gary Rafaloski. Her parents then decided to move the family to Houston, Texas, so that she could train under RomaniansBéla andMárta Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comăneci before their defection to the United States. Under the Károlyis, Retton soon began to make a name for herself in the U.S., winning theAmerican Cup in 1983 and placing second toDianne Durham (another Károlyi student) at theUS Nationals that same year. Though Retton missed theWorld Gymnastics Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury, she won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983.[10]
After winning her second American Cup, the U.S. Nationals, and the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984, Retton suffered a knee injury when she was performing a floor routine at a local gymnastics center at this time. She had sat down to sign autographs when she felt her knee lock, forcing her to undergo an operation five weeks prior to the1984 Summer Olympics inLos Angeles. This was the first time the Summer Olympics had been held in the United States in 52 years.[11]
Retton recovered just in time for this most prestigious of tournaments, and in the competition, which wasboycotted by the Soviet bloc nations except forRomania, Retton was engaged in a close battle withEcaterina Szabo of Romania for the all-around gold medal. Trailing Szabo (after uneven bars and balance beam) by 0.15 with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault—the last event in an especially dramatic fashion, as there had been fears that her knee injury and the subsequent surgery might impair her performance.[12] Retton won the all-around gold medal by 0.05 points, beating Szabo to become the first female gymnast from outsideEastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold. She also became the first American woman to be an Olympic all-around champion, which was an honor she held alone until the ongoing six-peat of American all-around champions —Carly Patterson inAthens 2004,Nastia Liukin inBeijing 2008,Gabby Douglas inLondon 2012,Simone Biles inRio de Janeiro 2016 andParis 2024, andSunisa Lee inTokyo 2021.
At the same Olympics, Retton won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and thehorse vault, and bronze in thefloor exercise anduneven bars. For her performance, she was namedSports Illustrated Magazine's "Sportswoman of the Year." She appeared on aWheaties box, and became the cereal's first official spokeswoman.[13]
In 1985, Retton won the American Cup all-around competition for the third and final time.[14] She retired in 1986.[15]
Retton was an outspoken supporter of theReagan administration and appeared in a variety of television ads supportingRonald Reagan as well as appearing at a rally for his reelection campaign just a month after the Olympics in her home state ofWest Virginia. Retton delivered thePledge of Allegiance with fellow former gymnast and 1996 Olympic gold medalistKerri Strug on the second night of the2004 Republican National Convention.[16]
Retton's hometown, Fairmont, West Virginia, named a road and a park in the town after her. In 1985, she received the Golden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member GeneralChuck Yeager.[17][18]
Retton was elected to theNational Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.[19] In 1993, theAssociated Press released results of a sports study in which Retton was statistically tied for first place with fellow OlympianDorothy Hamill as the most popular athlete in America.[20][21] In 1997, Retton was inducted into theInternational Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[22] In January 2020, Retton was the first woman inducted into theHouston Sports Hall of Fame.[23]
During the 1990s, Retton worked as a spokeswoman, appearing in advertisements for the U.S. drugstore chainRevco.[24]
Retton has had many commercial endorsements, including bowling and shampoo.[25] She was the first female athlete to be pictured on the front of aWheaties box, and General Mills stated that Wheaties sales improved after her appearance.[26][27][28] In 2019, Retton became a spokesperson forAustralian Dream, a pain relief cream; and briefly, in 2023 as a spokesperson for Colonial Penn Life Insurance.[29]
After theUSA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal hit the news in 2016, theProtecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017[30] was introduced to the115th Congress. Retton and other members of USA Gymnastics met with the bill sponsor, SenatorDianne Feinstein, with the aim of convincing her to drop the bill.[31] Despite these efforts, on February 14, 2018, the act was signed into law and became effective immediately.
Retton was born withhip dysplasia, a condition that her years as a competitive gymnast aggravated. After experiencing increased pain from the condition, she underwent multiplehip replacement surgeries.[36]
In 1990, she marriedShannon Kelley, a formerUniversity of Texasquarterback and Houstonreal estate developer who worked for theHouston Baptist University athletic department as of 2012.[37] Together they have four daughters: Shayla (born 1995),McKenna (born 1997), Skyla (born 2000), and Emma (born 2002).[38] McKenna was an NCAA gymnast atLouisiana State University, and Emma was an NCAA gymnast at theUniversity of Arkansas. Retton lived inHouston,Texas[39] until 2009, when her family moved to her nativeWest Virginia. They lived there for two years while her husband was a football coach atFairmont State University. She moved back to Houston in 2012. Retton and Kelley were divorced in February 2018.[40]
On October 10, 2023, Retton's daughter McKenna announced that her mother was critically ill withpneumonia.[41] Retton reportedly did not have health insurance and turned tocrowdfunding to raise money for medical expenses.[42][43] Retton returned home to recover later that month and issued a statement on October 30, 2023, saying "I'm with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process. When the time is right, I will be sharing more information about my health issues."[44] The total sum collected as of January 22, 2024, was $459,234.[45] Upon inquiry fromUSA Today, Retton would not comment on any details surrounding her medical issue nor how much of the donations were allocated toward her healthcare.[36] Her daughter said any "remaining funds" would go towards a charity, but failed to provide any details or timeline.[36]
On May 17, 2025, she was arrested inMarion County, West Virginia forDUI.[46] In July 2025 she pleadedno contest to a non-aggravated DUI charge. She was fined $100.[47]
Awards Council member General Chuck Yeager presents the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award to Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton at the 1985 Banquet of the Golden Plate in Denver, CO.
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by | Flo Hyman Memorial Award 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Men's artistic gymnastics athletes |
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| Women's artistic gymnastics athletes |
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| Rhythmic gymnastics athletes |
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| Coaches |
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