| McKayla Maroney | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Maroney in 2012 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | McKayla Rose Maroney | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1995-12-09)December 9, 1995 (age 29) Aliso Viejo, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Newport Beach, California, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2010–14 (USA) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gym | All Olympia Gymnastics Center (AOGC) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Headcoach(es) | Artur Akopyan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assistantcoach(es) | Galina Marinova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Formercoach(es) | Jenny Zhang, Howie Liang | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | February 24, 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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McKayla Rose Maroney (born December 9, 1995) is an American formerartistic gymnast. She was a member of the American women's gymnastics team, dubbed theFierce Five, that won a gold medal in theteam competition at the2012 Summer Olympics. There, she also won an individual silver medal on thevault. Maroney was also a member of the gold-winning American team at the2011 World Championships, where she also won the vault title. She then became the first U.S. female gymnast to defend a World Championship vault title at the2013 World Championships. Earlier in her career, she won three gold medals at the2010 Pan American Championships.
A photograph of Maroney with a "not impressed" expression, taken after winning the vault silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics, became anInternet meme.[1] In 2016, she retired from gymnastics after not competing since the 2013 World Championships.[2]
McKayla Rose Maroney was born inAliso Viejo, California, on December 9, 1995,[3] the daughter of Erin and Mike Maroney (died 2019).[4] Her father was a quarterback atPurdue University,[5] and her mother was involved in figure skating and high school sports.[6] She is ofIrish Catholic descent.[7] She has two siblings, Tarynn and Kav.[8]
On how she began gymnastics, Maroney said, "When I was younger, I would be watchingTarzan and running around on all fours. My mom was like, 'I need to put this child in gymnastics. She's crazy.'"[9] When she was nine years old, she started training at Gym-Max inCosta Mesa, California, alongside future Olympic teammateKyla Ross.[9][10] In 2010, Maroney left Gym-Max to train at theAll Olympia Gymnastics Center.[11] She washomeschooled to accommodate her gymnastics training.[12]
Maroney competed at the2009 U.S. Championships inDallas, Texas, and placed 27th in the all-around.[13] This competition was the first time she performed theAmanar vault,[14] which helped her finish third on the vault behindKyla Ross andBridgette Caquatto.[15]
At the2010 U.S. Classic inChicago, Illinois, Maroney placed seventh in the all-around competition with a score of 55.650.[16] She then competed at the U.S. Championships and won the bronze medal in the all-around behind Ross andKatelyn Ohashi,[17] and she won the junior national vault title.[18] She was then selected to compete at thePan American Championships inGuadalajara, Mexico. She and teammates Ross,Sabrina Vega,Gabby Douglas,Brenna Dowell, andSarah Finnegan beat silver medalist Canada by nearly 20 points.[19] In the event finals, she won the gold medals on both the vault and floor exercise.[20][21]
Maroney made her senior international debut at theCity of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy, and won the all-around competition. She also won gold medals with the American team and on the vault.[22] She only competed on the balance bea, and the floor exercise at the U.S. Classic, finishing sixth and fifth, respectivelyy.[23] She then competed at theU.S. Championships inSaint Paul, Minnesota. During the first day of competition, she fell on a doubleArabian on the floor exercise and finished fifth in the all-around competition.[24] She improved her performance on the second day to ultimately finish second toJordyn Wieber in the all-around.[25][26] Additionally, she won the vault competition.[27]
Maroney was selected to compete at the2011 World Championships inTokyo alongside Wieber,Sabrina Vega,Aly Raisman,Gabby Douglas, andAlicia Sacramone.[28] She contributed scores on the vault and floor exercise toward the American team's gold medal win by over four points ahead of Russia.[29][30] She then won the gold medal in the vault final by more than half a point ahead of silver medalistOksana Chusovitina.[31][32]
Maroney upgraded her second vault to a round-off, half-on, full-twisting front layout. "I've done it at two [U.S. team training] camps so far, and it's going pretty well," Maroney said.[33] Her first vault remained anAmanar.
In March, Maroney competed at theCity of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She placed fourth in the all-around competition with a score of 57.950.[34]
In May, Maroney competed at theSecret U.S. Classic in Chicago, Illinois. She placed first on vault with a score of 16.100 and tenth on balance beam with a score of 13.800.[35]
In June, Maroney competed at theVisa Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. After the first day of competition, she was placed seventh in the all-around with a score of 58.700.[36] During warmups for the second day of competition, she fell on a tumbling pass on floor landing on her back. Maroney was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a minor concussion and nasal fracture. She took a week off from training[37][38] and successfully petitioned to compete at the Olympic Trials.[39]
At the beginning of July, Maroney competed at the Olympic Trials in San Jose, California. After the first day of competition, she said, "I'm thankful that I'm even here. I knew I had to hit vault because it's the most important event for me to make the Olympic team."[40] Though she had falls on both bars and beam on day one, and a major loss of formation on bars during day two, she placed seventh in the all-around with a two-day combined score of 117.650.[41] In event finals, she placed first on vault scoring 31.700 and fifth on floor scoring 29.700.[42] Afterwards, Maroney was chosen as a member of the team that was sent to the2012 Summer Olympics. She said, "This is the best feeling – it's just so amazing. I'm in shock right now. I think this will be the happiest I'll ever be in my life. It's the absolute best feeling knowing that I trained so hard for this and all the hard things that I have accomplished and now to be on this team. These girls are my best friends. My team mateKyla Ross, we have been best friends since we were six years old so it's just absolutely amazing to be going to the Olympics."[37] When asked about feeling pressure to win gold on vault at the Olympics, she replied, "If I do my job I know I can get the gold medal. That's what they picked me to be on the team for, so I need to be confident about that."[38]
Maroney was featured on the cover ofSports Illustrated with the rest of the USA Women's Olympic Gymnastics team on the July 18, 2012, issue of "Olympic Preview". This marked the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team had been featured on the cover ofSports Illustrated.[43]
At the end of July, Maroney competed at the2012 Summer Olympics inLondon. During training, she aggravated a previous bone break in the big toe of her right foot but competed on vault, although she did not take part in the floor routine as she hoped. "Bad things happen, you just have to make the best of it," Maroney said. "It does hurt. It's broken. How is it not going to hurt? I just try to ignore it and I worked so hard to be here, I can ignore the pain for a little bit."[44] In 2021, she claimed she broke her entire foot, and team doctorLarry Nassar lied to the coach about it.[45] She helped the American team qualify in first place,[46] and individually qualified in first place to the vault final with a score of 15.800.[47]
Along withJordyn Wieber, she is credited for changing the team's nickname from the "Fab Five" to the "Fierce Five". While on the bus to a training session, they decided to change the name because the "Fab Five" was in use by a basketball team associated with theUniversity of Michigan as well as associated with the musical groupDuran Duran. They searched for words starting with the letter 'F' to describe the team. The top choices were feisty and fierce. Maroney and Wieber opted for "fierce". They said it described their floor routines, and the rest of the team concurred.[48]
In the team final, she contributed a vault score of 16.233 toward the American team's first-place finish,[49] the highest score in the competition in any event. She also scored an execution average of 9.733, the highest execution score at an Olympics or world championship under the new scoring system for women's gymnastics.[50] About the rest of the team final, Maroney said, "I just wanted them to do so well and I'm just so proud of them. I was screaming and yelling. That last event on floor was really exhilarating, but amazing at the same time. I don't think I will ever, ever forget that."[51]
In the vault final, Maroney won a silver medal with a score of 15.083. She performed anAmanar for her first vault, but fell on her second. This fall ended her 33-vault hitting streak in competition.[52] With the fall, Maroney came in second.[53] She said, "I didn't get my full block, my hands didn't really touch the vault. I still walked out with a silver medal and I'm happy about that. I'll have to watch the video and figure out what happened. It's really sad I had to fall on that vault but I'm glad I won a silver medal. I know I can do better vaults but I also know I didn't deserve the gold medal because I fell on my second vault. It happens. It's gymnastics. You can't always be perfect. Sometimes, things don't go as planned."[54]
After winning the silver medal in the vault finals, Maroney was photographed on the medal podium while giving a brief look of disappointment with her lips pursed to the side. The image became anInternet phenomenon sparked by atumblr blog called "McKayla is not impressed".[55][56][57] The image wentviral after it wasPhotoshopped into various places and situations such as on top of theGreat Wall of China and standing next toUsain Bolt.[58][59] Maroney said that she found theInternet meme "kinda funny".[60] She later poked fun at the meme on various occasions, including appearances onLate Show with David Letterman,The Colbert Report,Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars,Extra, and when she and the rest of the U.S. Gymnastics team metUnited States PresidentBarack Obama at theWhite House in November 2012. She and President Obama posed for a photo together, both making the same pursed-lips expression.[61] The podium picture made the top spot onYahoo's list of "Most Viral Photos" of 2012.[62] Maroney starred in a 2021Geico commercial playing on her "not impressed" pose.[63]
In September 2012, Maroney was injured during an uneven bars dismount while performing at the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions in Ontario, California. AnMRI revealed that she had fractured thetibia in her left leg.[64] The injury occurred shortly before teammateAly Raisman injured herself performing on the same bars.[65] On September 13, 2012, Maroney had two screws inserted to repair the fractured left tibia. She wore an immobilizer to keep the leg straight until doctors determined that she was ready to resume limited walking and rebuilding range of motion.[66] Maroney returned to The Kellogg's Tour on October 4, 2012, in Oklahoma City on light duty.
On January 12, 2013, Maroney served as one of the judges for theMiss America pageant.[67] She participated in theThirty Seconds to Mars music video "Up in the Air".[68] In 2013, Maroney signed a sponsorship agreement with Adidas Gymnastics.[69]
In July 2013, Maroney made her return to gymnastics at the 2013Secret U.S. Classic, where she placed first on vault with a score of 15.425 (15.600 + 15.250) and third on floor with a score of 14.350, posting the highest execution score on that apparatus.[70] This was her first event since the 2012 London Olympics. In an interview after she finished, Maroney said she hoped to upgrade both her vaults by the 2016 Olympics, as well as her tumbling on floor.[71]
At theP&G Gymnastics Championships in August, Maroney competed on vault and floor exercise. She won gold medals in both events.[72]
On September 15, Maroney was one of four gymnasts named to the United States team for the2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium.[73] She was originally put on the team to compete on only two events—vault and floor, her strongest ones—but was later named to compete as an all-around gymnast alongsideSimone Biles andKyla Ross after performing extremely well during podium trainings. TeammateBrenna Dowell was named as an alternate instead, as there could only be three gymnasts competing on each event. She scored a total all-around score of 57.149, placing 6th overall, but due to the two-per-country rule, she could not compete in the all-around final or the floor final (14.333), or qualify as third reserve to the uneven bars final (14.3). On floor, Maroney would have qualified over teammate Kyla Ross but due to her music being over time by one second she incurred a 0.1 deduction, putting her in the 6th place with same score as Ross. Due to Maroney having lower execution, albeit having higher difficulty, Ross progressed to the final. In the vault final, she successfully defended her title, winning the gold medal with a score of 15.724.[74] It was the last competitive routine of Maroney's career. She was the first American woman to ever defend a world title on vault.
In March 2014, Maroney underwent surgery on her knee.[75] Maroney was featured on the cover of the April issue ofInside Gymnastics. InInternational Gymnast Magazine, she said that she wanted to upgrade both of her vaults.[76]
On August 31, 2014,underage nude images of Maroney were published as part of the2014 celebrity photo leaks.[77]
In March 2015, Maroney claimed in aYouTube video that she struggled withadrenal fatigue following the 2013 World Championships.[78]
On February 24, 2016, popular gymnastics podcast GymCastic released a candid 49-minute-long interview with Maroney regarding her health issues preceding and following the 2012 Olympic Games.[79] In the interview, she announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics—this came two days after fellowFierce Five teammateKyla Ross' retirement.[80]
In the summer of 2016, Maroney announced that she would be making a singing debut with a single named "Ghost".[81][82][83][84][85]
On October 18, 2017, Maroney alleged that theUSA Gymnastics team physicianLarry Nassar had repeatedly molested her, starting when she was 13 years old, until her retirement from the sport in 2016. She made the allegation onTwitter under the#MeToohashtag. Nassar had been arrested in November 2016 andaccused of sexually assaulting female minors throughout his career.[86][87][88]
In December 2017, Maroney filed a suit against Nassar,Michigan State University, theUnited States Olympic Committee andUSA Gymnastics[89] accusing the latter two of covering up the sexual abuse by asking Maroney to sign a $1.25 million confidentiality agreement. Maroney agreed and accepted the money.[90] During Nassar's sentencing hearing, USA Gymnastics waived the agreement, at least temporarily, to allow Maroney to make a victim's statement in court against Nassar, who is now serving a 40-to-175-year prison sentence.[91]
On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Maroney and the other victims would be awarded theArthur Ashe Courage Award.[92]
On March 7, 2020, Maroney released her first official single "Wake Up Call",[93] and released her second single "Covid Lockdown" a few weeks later.[94]
| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | |||||||
| 2009 | U.S. National Championships | 27 |  | 27 | 25 | 29 | |
| 2010 | U.S. Classic | 7 |  | 18 | 23 | 5 | |
| U.S. National Championships | |  | 24 | 7 | 4 | ||
| Pan American Championships | | | | ||||
| Senior | |||||||
| 2011 | City of Jesolo Trophy | | | | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| U.S. Classic | 6 | 5 | |||||
| U.S. National Championships | | | 10 | 7 | 5 | ||
| World Championships | | | |||||
| 2012 | City of Jesolo Trophy | | 4 | | 6 | ||
| U.S. Classic | | 10 | |||||
| U.S. National Championships | DNF | ||||||
| U.S. Olympic Trials | 7 | | 11 | 10 | 5 | ||
| Olympic Games | | | |||||
| 2013 | U.S. Classic | | | ||||
| U.S. National Championships | | | |||||
| World Championships | | ||||||
Maroney made her acting debut in theCW television seriesHart of Dixie on November 20, 2012. She played Tonya, a friend of Rose in the episode "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me".[95] That appearance turned into a recurring role, with Maroney appearing in six episodes of the series.[96]
In December 2013, Maroney appeared on an episode of the Fox TV showBones called "The Spark in the Park" (season 9), as a gymnast named Ellie who is a suspect in the murder of a fellow gymnast.[97]
On August 19, 2016, Maroney appeared in season 2 episode 1 of the NBC TV showSuperstore called "The Olympics" as herself in a number of candid appearances alongside fellow OlympiansTara Lipinski andApolo Ohno.[98]
Maroney appeared in severalGEICO television commercials in 2021.[99][63]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012–15 | Hart of Dixie | Tonya | 6 episodes |
| 2012 | Big Brother 14 | Herself | 1 episode |
| 2013 | Bones | Ellie | Episode: "The Spark in the Park" |
| 2013 | Up In The Air | Herself | Music video for "Thirty Seconds To Mars" |
| 2016 | Superstore | Herself | Episode: "Olympics" |
Parents: Maroney stands 5–2, same as her mom. But her father, Mike, a former Purdue quarterback is 6–3.
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