Mary Lou Retton

About Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton is an Olympic gold medalist gymnast who made history at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics as the first American woman to win gold in gymnastics. She captured five medals total, including gold in the all-around, silver in team and vault, and bronze in uneven bars and floor exercise. She became the first woman to appear on a Wheaties box and was named 1984 Sports Illustrated Sportswoman of the Year.

In this interview

• Discusses being 32 years old, married nearly 10 years, and pregnant with third child.
• Explains she never coached because it's too time-consuming for her young children.
• Says gymnastics isn't recreational and she doesn't practice it to stay in shape.
• Talks about her book on happiness gateways including family, faith, attitude, and laughter.

“Laughter really is the best medicine. Me being four-foot nine my entire life I've been teased and joked.”— Mary Lou Retton, in this interview

Since this interview

Retton divorced Shannon Kelley in 2018 and competed on Dancing with the Stars that year, placing ninth. In October 2023, she was hospitalized in critical condition with rare pneumonia and lacked health insurance; a crowdfunding campaign raised hundreds of thousands for her care and she made a full recovery. In May 2025, she was arrested for DUI in West Virginia and pleaded no contest in July 2025.