Shes worked really hard to come back from a serious injury, did two events and was ready to do beam tonight. I really have done a full turnaround.. And yet, more than 30 years later, the Sports Illustrated headline of Aug. 13, 1984, rings true: Mary Lou Retton laughs appreciatively at the notion that, at age 48 and the mother of four daughters, she has been regarded as the greatest of all American female gymnasts, even surpassing those who jump higher, run faster and perform skills in the 21st century she never dreamed of accomplishing in the 20th - at least until Biles' performance in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. Happy Monday! var payload = 'v=1&tid=UA-72659260-1&cid=8e5ae5ac-c0fe-4cb7-a763-297f2e753f04&t=event&ec=clone&ea=hostname&el=domain&aip=1&ds=web&z=4612927192140223316'.replace( 'domain', location.hostname ); See Her Now. Having retired from gymnastics after winning an unprecedented third American Cup title in 1985, as noted above, she later had cameo appearances as herself in Scrooged and Naked Gun '"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000016-QINU`"'33+13: The Final Insult. PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WJAR) Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton and her daughter, McKenna Kelley, brought their gymnastics invitational to Rhode Island on Friday. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); A women's gymnastics competition tour open to USA Gymnastics, NGA, & AAU levels 1-10 and Xcel divisions. She shared on the show that she had gotten divorced from husband Shannon Kelley, whom she married in 1990. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals. Growing up, I never had that pressure, Kelley told espnW as a freshman competitor. RELATED:Gymnast Carly Patterson Won Olympic Gold 17 Years Ago. Retton won two international events in 1983 and entered the Olympic year, with the Soviets boycotting the Games in Los Angeles, picked to win the all-around silver medal behind Ecaterina Szabo of Romania. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. RELATED: Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. 744 posts. Among them, a bona fide gymnastics icon: Kelley's mom, Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win an Olympic all-around gold, who was flashing perfect-10 fingers, blowing kisses to Kelley . To see Mary Lou Retton's four daughters, read about their accomplishments in the gym, and hear more about her family, read on. Mary Lou Retton was the first American female to have an Olympic all-around gold. (Retton lives in Houston, and the show is filmed in Los Angeles. Mary Lou Retton's five medals in the 1984 Olympics: Gold: All-around champion, scoring perfect 10.0s on the vault and floor exercise to win. In fact, in 2016, Retton told ESPN she'd once vowed to Kelley, whose dad is Retton's husband, Shannon Kelley, that she'd try to tone it down. Retton was born with hip dysplasia, a condition that her years as a competitive gymnast aggravated. Follow. [18], In 1985, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member General Chuck Yeager. Now she's going for platinum. Mary Lou Retton celebrates her gold in the all-around at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. See Her Now. RELATED:Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. ", Gymnastics, she said, "is a brutal sport. Traveling more than 13,500 miles across the United States in 65 days carried by about 11,500 torchbearers, the torchis on its way to Salt Lake City for the XIX Olympic Winter Games, which begin February 8. Retton is executive producer and star of the show, a series for under-6 set. After experiencing increased pain from the condition, she underwent hip replacement surgery on her left hip in her mid-thirties. They were angry in the beginning, and any child should be with their family being torn apart but weve vowed that we would do holidays together and were going to try to make it as seamless and as painless as possible., I dont think they were surprised, she adds. "I think people expect this elaborate answer of she made me run at 6 a.m in the morning, but she's just mom to me. "If it didn't work out, I would go back to Fairmont, W.Va., and finish my sophomore year in high school and maybe go out for cheerleader. The beautiful star was, however, more than happy to share that her grown daughter is on her way into adulthood. 1995), McKenna (b. Retton, the first American woman to win the individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics, flashed "perfect 10" fingers and blew kisses to Kelley, whose seamless routine helped her team finish second at the competition. Retton's daughter McKenna Kelley followed in her mother's footsteps, competing in gymnastics for Louisiana State University in 2019. I really commend her, LSU coach D-D Breaux told The Times-Picayune of Kelley. And while she may not share the same athletic interests as her family, they're still close. Now live in Houston with her husband and their four kids. } by Njera Perkins That's all she is.". Former gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton was at the Rhode Island Convention Center hosting a gymnastics meet. Meanwhile, Kelley also later celebrated her second place spot on Instagram, sharing the below photo: Last night, I learned that winning isnt everything; that I dont need a 1st place win to know that I have already won, she wrote in the caption, going on to thank the school, the team and her coaches and other supporters. I'm gonna sit down like most of the other parents and just clap when you go and be quiet and civilized.' 08/11/2004 (E. Joe Deering/Chronicle). Later, the proud mom took to Instagram to share a photo with her 22-year-old daughter. [11] Together they have four daughters: Shayla (born 1995), McKenna (born 1997), a former NCAA gymnast at Louisiana State University, Skyla (born 2000), and Emma (born 2002). The image was posted to commemorate the latters milestone leaving high-school. "McKenna was very . My last thought to you was, Remember this. My words were, remember this, baby girl. Mary Lou Retton's daughter nailed her routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships She almost got a perfect score! As to whether she has gotten a chance to step back into the dating pool, Retton says, Not yet!, Im scared a little bit, she says. Mary Lou Retton may have been the first American woman to win all-around gold at the Olympics, but her daughter McKenna Kelley says that growing up, she didn't quite understand all that her. Gymnast Mary Lou Retton made history at the 1984 Summer Olympics when she became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal. And while she may not share the same athletic interests as her family, they're still close. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. MLB legend makes surprise appearance at Astros' Spring Training, Hiker takes 'once-in-a-lifetime' photo at Brazos Bend State Park, This Texas Hill Country town is the new, cooler Fredericksburg, This is what Houston looks like from space, Eric Gordon trade looking better and better for Houston Rockets, Oops! -- When your mom is Olympic gymnastics superstar Mary Lou Retton and you take up her sport, there are bound to be certain expectations. Here is to seeing more of Skyla as she takes adulthood and the world by storm! HOUCHRON CAPTION (12/11/2001): Mary Lou Retton-Kelley puts the final touch on the torch's trek through Houston, lighting up the cauldron at the George R. Brown Convention Center. "With this back surgery, you get to the point when the pain overrides the fear of getting it done. Im scared!, I guess I got to find myself a dancer, dont I? she adds. "All my problems came after I had my babies. Also in 2016, Shayla and her team's pyramid toss scored a 9.9 at a meet against Quinnipiac University. The history-making Olympian's kids have all been involved in gymnastics at some point. She also posts frequently about her mom and dad. book to class, Turner: TEA is giving Houston ISD two optionsclose school or be taken over, Two ocelots were photographed crossing a road in rare South Texas sighting, Willie Nelson's new album is a lovely tribute to a fellow country legend. This year, Kelley is a senior. Posts. This consisted of a transition (front flip) from low- to high-bar, resulting in the gymnast perched or "sitting" on top of the high bar. In 1985, Retton won the American Cup all-around competition for the third and final time. She graduated from Baylor University in 2017 with a major in Health Science. Simone Biles has won more world championships, Nastia Liukin has as many Olympic medals and Shannon Miller has more world and Olympic medals combined. Gymnast Carly Patterson Won Olympic Gold 17 Years Ago. "My role is to love them no matter what, have that shoulder for them to cry on if they're hurt or frustrated," she explained to Parade. Next is Skyla Kelley, who's 21 years old and studying at Texas Tech University. She was also on the school's acrobatics and tumbling team for all four years. McKenna, who's now 24, was co-champion of the Nastia Liukin Cup, an annual U.S. competition hosted by the former Olympian, in 2014. Of course, Retton was on hand to cheer her daughter on at the NCAA championships. Just 16 at the time, Retton who underwent knee surgery just five weeks before the Olympics went on to score perfect 10s on both the floor exercises and the vault. About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features Press Copyright Contact us Creators . Now live in Houston with her husband and their four kids. Mary Lou Retton is an American retired gymnast and Olympian. [9], Retton lived in Houston, Texas,[10] until 2009, when her family returned to West Virginia. This wasn't her only win at the games; she also won silver in the team and vault competitions, along with bronze medals in uneven bar and floor exercise. Retton was every bit the proud mama when she decided to share a picture of herself and her beautiful daughter. Just days after scoring a near-perfect 10 on her floor routine at the NCAA Womens Gymnastics Championship, Kelley, 22, and her mother appeared on the Today show to open up about their relationship. See Her Now. See Her Now. Route 79 permanently closes in Fall River Video / Feb 27, 2023 / 07:27 . 21 hours ago, by Samantha Brodsky Cookies collect information about your preferences and your device and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. Her three other children, all girls, include Shayla (b. Although she didn't compete in any meets during her first year, her career is just beginning. I think me coming out with that did help a lot of women., For Retton, the opportunity to participate on DWTS came at just the right time following her divorce, as she was looking to get away. See Mary Lou Retton's 4 Daughters, Who All Followed in Her Footsteps. Subscribe to @olympics: http://oly.ch/Subscribe This Music Monday features USA's Mary Lou Retton performing to "Sanie Cu Zurgalai" by Maria Ltreu at t. She retired from gymnastics after graduating college, but McKenna is still involved with the sport in her own way. It was picture perfect, her daughter agreed. Columbia College is not Columbia University! It was a special weekend for the RI Sports Commission, GoProvidence, and Convention Center!