Mary Lou Retton attends the Closing Ceremonies for the 1984 Summer Olympics at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. ![]() The iconic gymnast, an explosive pixie who became the first American woman to win all-around gold at the Olympic Games, helped launch the US dynasty in the sport, a dynasty that just grabbed yet another world crown two weeks ago in Antwerp, Belgium, led by the indomitable Simone Biles.Ī physical powerhouse, Retton was the first US success story of now-controversial coaching duo Bela and Martha Karolyi, who defected from Romania to the US in 1981. Her all-around gold, one of a 16-medal haul by the Americans that year, became the foundation for the likes of the Magnificent Seven (1996) and the Fierce Five (2012), as well as a long list of champions: Carly Patterson, Gabby Douglas, Nastia Liukin, Suni Lee and - of course - Biles. With Retton hospitalized since early October with a rare form of pneumonia and having suffered Wednesday, according to her daughter’s latest Instagram update, a “pretty scary setback,” our virtual bedside vigil in this particularly dark moment in the world continues, fearing bad news while craving the possibility of good.
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