Mary Lou Retton

Highlights

She won the Women's Gymnastics All Around Gold Medal in the 1984 Olympic Games; She is the only American to ever win the All Around Gold Medal; She is a member of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame

Fee Range: $10,000 - $20,000

Secure Mary Lou Retton for Your Event

Mary Lou Retton catapulted to international fame by winning the All Around Gold Medal in women's gymnastics at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, becoming the first American woman ever to win a gold medal in gymnastics. She also won silver medals for Team and Vault, and bronze medals for Uneven Bars and Floor Exercise. Her five medals were the most won by any athlete at the '84 Olympics. To this day she remains the only American ever to win the Olympic All Around Title.

Inspired by watching Nadia Comăneci on television, Retton took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia. She was coached in her hometown of Fairmont by Gary Rafaloski, She then decided to move to Houston, Texas, to train under the Romanians Béla and Marta Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comaneci before their defection to the United States. Under the Karolyis, Retton soon began to make a name for herself in the United States, winning the American Cup in 1983 and placing second to Dianne Durham (another Karolyi student) in the US Nationals in the same year. Retton, however, missed the World Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury. Nevertheless, Retton managed to win the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's prestigious Chunichi Cup in 1983.

After winning her second American Cup and the US Nationals and US Olympic Trials in 1984, Retton suffered a knee injury that forced her to undergo an operation. However, she recovered just in time for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. In the competition - which was boycotted by most of the Soviet bloc nations except for Romania - Retton engaged in a close battle with Ecaterina Szabó of Romania for the all-around title, to the delight of the patriotic audience. Trailing Szabó (after bars and beam) with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault to win the all-around title by just 0.05.

At the same Olympics, Retton won four additional medals: a silver in the team competition and the horse vault, and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. For her performance, she was named Sports Illustrated magazine's "Sportswoman of the Year" (shared with fellow American Edwin Moses). She appeared on a Wheaties box, and became the cereal's first official spokeswoman. Her small stature led a wag at SPORT magazine to comment that "Her life-size picture now appears on the Wheaties box."

The people in Retton's hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia, were supportive of her Olympic endeavors. A street and park in Fairmont was later named after her.

Retton retired from gymnastics after winning an unprecedented third American Cup title in 1985. She also has had cameo appearences as herself in Scrooged and Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.

During the 1990s, she worked as a spokeswoman for the eastern U.S. drugstore chain Revco. Retton was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1997 she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Retton has a skill named after her on the uneven bars called, "The Retton Flip," a transition (front flip) from low to high-bar, resulting in the gymnast perched or "sitting" on top of the high bar. Because the bars have been pushed further and further apart in the decades since she first performed that element, it is no longer possible to perform it.

Retton was born with hip dysplasia. It was not correctly diagnosed until she was in her 30s. She also suffered from arthritis. She had a hip replacement which completely removed the pain. Retton also suffered from overactive bladder.

As of 2006, Retton is currently the host of the children's program Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop. She currently resides in Houston, TX, with her husband and four children.

Direct Sportslink - Motivational Speakers: Direct Sportslink speakers bureau will assist you in hiring a motivational speaker like Mary Lou Retton for any keynote speaking engagement or guest speaker request. If you need to contact Mary Lou Retton we will do so directly or via the agent, agency, or manager for Mary Lou Retton. We take out the stress of you trying to contact Mary Lou Retton. With the click of a mouse, you can immediately find a popular motivational speaker above for your trade show, conference, or sales meeting.