How many Olympic medals did Mary Lou Retton win? Everything to know about the legendary gymnast's career
Legendary gymnast Mary Lou Retton has won a total of five Olympic medals. Impressively, the 55-year-old won all these medals in the same year at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. That year, she made history by becoming the first American woman to achieve a gold medal in the all-around category.
Besides achieving her first Olympic gold medal at the 1984 Olympics, Mary Lou Retton won two silver medals in the team and vault events and also two bronze medals in the uneven bars and floor exercise events. The 55-year-old also boasts three consecutive wins in the New York American Cup from 1983 to 1985.
Mary Lou Retton developed an interest in gymnastics after watching Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci perform at the 1976 Summer Olympics. From the age of 8, Retton began her gymnastics journey and eventually made a name for herself in the country. She won the American Cup and came second in the US Nationals in 1983. Unfortunately, despite winning a series of titles, she was unable to compete in the world championship that year due to a wrist injury.
However, Mary Lou Retton bounced back in 1984 after winning the American Cup, the U.S. Nationals, and the U.S. Olympic Trials. Her victory in the 1984 Olympics in the all-around event was significant for multiple reasons. Her participation was questionable as she suffered a knee injury weeks before the big day.
Moreover, that year, the Summer Olympics were being held in the United States for the first time in 52 years despite being boycotted by the Soviet Union bloc except for Romania.
Fortunately, Retton recovered at the right time and competed in the gymnastics event. Ironically, she won the all-around event against Romanian gymnast Ecaterina Szabo by 0.05 points. It made her the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold. Moreover, Mary Lou Retton held that title until 2004 when another American gymnast Carly Patterson won the all-around event.
She retired from her gymnastics career in the year 1986.
Mary Lou Retton is battling for life against a chronic disease
Recently, the 55-year-old’s daughter Mckenna Kelley announced that the legendary gymnast was battling for her life against a rare form of pneumonia. She shared that Retton is currently in the ICU and was unable to breathe on her own.
Kelley shared her mother’s situation on the crowdfunding site Spotfund revealing that she does not have health insurance. She wrote on the website,
"My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life,"
She further added,
"She is not able to breathe on her own. She’s been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she not insured."
Retton’s daughter urged fans to raise funds for the retired gymnast's treatment. The website has a target of raising $50,000 but within Wednesday it surpassed the goal and accumulated $395,050.