Remembering Mary Lou Retton at 50

Prelude

In the 1972 Olympic Games, Olga Korbut became a sensation. She was one of those few athletes who was equally liked and loved in Russia and in the U.S.A.

The Russians were always good in gymnastics and had won four out of the six 'all round' gymnastics medal at the conclusion of the 1972 edition. Very few doubted a Russian dominance in the 1976 edition.

But the IOC, in an attempt to lessen the dominance of the heavyweight nations, made a rule which effectively meant that only three gymnasts from each country could compete in the final 36. This rule meant that there was a limitation on the number of Russians who could compete and that, in turn, created internal dissension.

While the Russians were busy solving their problems, a 14-year old from Romania stunned the world by getting seven 10s! Nadia Comaneci's stunning performance lit up the Olympics and inspired many around the world.

The 8-year old in West Virginia

The little girl watched in awe as Comaneci registered her perfect 10s. The scoreboard in Montreal was not prepared for this kind of performance. They could not accommodate the 10s and hence they were shown as 1.0s.

Months later, the little girl performed on her first apparatus in her first meet and got a score of 1.0. She jumped up in joy, thinking that she had managed to emulate Comaneci. Alas, it was really a 1.0! But that didn't disappoint her and she made up her mind to not give up until she could score the genuine 10.0s.

The build-up to the Los Angeles Olympics

Lou Retton rose to prominence by winning the American Classic, the American Cup, and the Chunichi Cup in 1983. The 15-year old produced quite a few impressive performances but none of these were international events.

She was all set to take part in the 1983 World Championships but a wrist injury spilled water on that prospect. At around that time, Retton seemed to develop a habit of picking up freak injuries from all possible situations and with less than six months to go for the Olympics, she incurred a fairly serious knee injury. Her dream seemed to be shattered but a desperate arthroscopic surgery to remove the torn cartilage saved the day for her.

Lou Retton at the Los Angeles Olympics

At 4-feet 9-inches and weighing 94 pounds, Retton was more powerful than most of the others participating in the 'all round' category. Once they started, it soon became clear that the contest for the gold medal would be tight and it would be between Lou Retton and Romanian gymnast Ecaterina Szabo.

They were going neck and neck and with two rotations remaining, Szabo found herself in the lead by .15 of a point. But Retton rose to the occasion brilliantly and registered 10s for the floor exercise and the vault. That was good enough to give her the gold, thus making her the first American to win the 'all round' gold medal in women's gymnastics in Olympics. She won two silvers and two bronzes as well to take her medal tally to five.

Aftermath

Lou Retton competed for one more year and won the American Cup in 1985. She was, by then, one of the most popular figures in U.S. sports. She left gymnastics and concentrated on a more public life by appearing on television and as a motivational speaker.

An uneven bars move was named after her: Retton flip.

In 1993, almost a decade after her rise to fame, she was voted in a survey as the most popular athlete in America.