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What was Mary Lou Retton childhood like?
She was the youngest of five children. Her father Ronnie Retton played basketball in college and was a minor league baseball player. Her mother Lois signed up Mary Lou for dance classes when she was 4, then enrolled her and her older sister in gymnastics classes at West Virginia University.
Where did Mary Lou Retton go to school?
The University of Texas at Austin
West Virginia University
Mary Lou Retton/College
Retton attended Fairmont Senior High School. However, she did not graduate, as she was more focused on gymnastics. The gold medalist moved to Houston, Texas, to train at the Károlyi Gym. Aside from that, she briefly attended the University of Texas after retiring from gymnastics.
Where is Martha Karolyi now?
Though Bela retired as a coach in 2001, the 78-year-old’s wife Martha acted as the team coordinator for USA gymnastics with plans to step away from the sport following the successful 2016 Olympic run. In 2010, the couple signed a contract with USAG to lease Karolyi Ranch through 2021 as the official training facility.
Who is Mary Lou Retton and what did she do?
Mary Lou Retton is a retired American gymnast who won gold, silver and bronze medals at the 1984 Olympics. Who Is Mary Lou Retton? Mary Lou Retton is an American gymnast who trained with Romanian coach Bela Karolyi and won the American Cup and the U.S. Nationals.
When did Mary Lou Retton win the American Cup?
Under the Károlyis, Retton soon began to make a name for herself in the U.S., winning the American Cup in 1983 and placing second to Dianne Durham (another Károlyi student) at the US Nationals that same year.
Who are the four American gymnasts who have equaled Mary Lou Retton?
Mary Lou Retton. She is credited with being a pioneering figure in American women’s gymnastics, including by the four American women who have since equaled her feat consecutively: Carly Patterson (Athens in 2004), Nastia Liukin (2008 in Beijing), Gabby Douglas (2012 in London), and Simone Biles (2016 in Rio de Janeiro).
Where did Mary Lou Retton give the pledge of allegiance?
Retton delivered the Pledge of Allegiance with fellow former gymnast and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug on the second night of the 2004 Republican National Convention. Retton’s hometown, Fairmont, West Virginia, named a road and a park in the town after her.