About Mary Lou Retton
The American retired gymnast Mary Lou Retton was born on January 24, 1968, and her estimated net worth is $10 million. At the 1984 Olympics, Mary Lou Retton took home five medals, including the first-ever gold medal for women’s gymnastics all-around. Mary Lou Retton, who was born in 1968 in Fairmont, West Virginia, started competing in gymnastics after watching gold champion Nadia Comaneci perform at the Olympics on television. Retton relocated to Houston, Texas, to intensify her training, and she quickly established her reputation by taking first place at the 1983 American Cup and 1983 American Classic, as well as the 1984 U.S. Nationals and Olympic Trials, which qualified her for the 1984 US Olympics.
At the Olympics in 1984, Mary Lou Retton
In the women’s gymnastics all-around competition on August 3, 1984, Mary Lou Retton became the first female gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal. She finished the 1984 U.S. Olympics with the most medals of any athlete with five overall. Mary Lou Retton received the Sportswoman of the Year award from Sports Illustrated magazine and the Amateur Athlete of the Year honor from the Associated Press both in the same year. In her honor, the American Olympic Committee established the Mary Lou Retton Award for Athletic Excellence.
The Legacy of Mary Lou Retton
Retton received the Most Popular Athlete in America award from the Associated Press in 1993 and the Flo Hyman Award from the Women’s Sports Foundation in 1995. In Oklahoma City, Mary Lou Retton was admitted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. Mary Lou Retton continues to be admired for her tremendous athletic talent as well as for her kind disposition and excitement, making her a true deserving of the moniker “America’s Sweetheart”