HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/19/2004): HOUCHRON CAPTION (08/19/2004): Mary Lou Retton displays the five medals she won in 1984 (gold, two silver, two bronze as a member of the U.S. gymnastics team. foreverourlegacy.org. Though Retton missed the World Gymnastics Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury, she won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983. sound information and advice to make the smartest, healthiest choices. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. View this post on Instagram #grateful A post. She did rack up some impressive scores on the mat in high school, however. Mary Lou Retton a member of the 1984 Olympic gymnastics team won five metals in LA. Shayla was on her college's acrobatics and tumbling team. [9], Retton lived in Houston, Texas,[10] until 2009, when her family returned to West Virginia. I havent officially announced this, but I have decided to graduate with my senior class. 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. Although Kelley is a senior at LSU, she missed the entirety of her junior season due to injury. That really was my final routine, she shared, referring to her near-perfect floor routine, which led her team to an overall second-place victory. (Not in Picture). Kelley didn't pursue elite gymnastics until she was 17 the same age Retton was when she retired from the sport, just one year after her history-making victory at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. McKenna, the second of Retton's four daughters with former Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley, started mommy-and-me gymnastics classes at age 2 and rarely left the gym after that. Speaking to Parade in 2016, the gold medalist noted that she doesn't give them pointers about the sport unless they ask for it. McKenna and her mom co-host the women's gymnastics tour, "For Mothers and Daughters Forever Our Legacy." Shayla didn't continue tumbling after college, however. Daughter of Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Kelly Her mother Mary Lou Retton won the gold medal in the all-around at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles Her father Shannon Kelley. 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. She's Mom to me, just like anyone else's mom." Kelley, 22, is one of Retton's four daughters (McKenna was the second), all of whom did or still do gymnastics. 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. The last routine of the night was Kelleys, for which she earned a 9.95, which is only .05 from a perfect 10 score. She and her wife, Molly, are the proud moms of two formerly stray cats, Sophie and Pierre, and a rescue dog named Gracie. Retton said she and Kelley simply grew apart. Did having her mom there make Kelley nervous? The asymmetrical neckline of the top had the star flaunting her beautiful neckline and the short length of the skirt, her well-toned legs. But who could blame her? David Barron reported on sports media, college football and Olympic sports for the Houston Chronicle until his retirement in January 2021. I will not be taking a fifth year, she shared on Today, to which her mother enthusiastically replied, Thank God.. [3] McKenna Kelley, daughter of Mary Lou Retton, blazes her own trail in gymnastics 2492 days ago Laurie Bern Special to espnW.com When your mom is Olympic gymnastics superstar Mary Lou Retton and you take up her sport, there are bound to be certain expectations. They'll always second guess themselves, from what they say to how they look. One gold, two silver and two bronze. ( Smiley N. Pool / Chronicle ), Mary Lou Retton and her daughter McKenna Kelley, 11, celebrate with Chellsie Memmel after she was announced as member of the 2008 Olympic team on the final day of the USA Gymnastics Olympic selection camp at Women's National Team Training Center, Saturday, July 19, 2008, in New Waverly, Texas. 55 minutes ago, by Eden Arielle Gordon 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. Im scared!, I guess I got to find myself a dancer, dont I? she adds. You dont want to get hurt or anything!'. 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 . Ill probably have some more operations in the future, but its alright.. Then check out the performance that earned her that perfect 10 earlier in the season, plus a few other sweet snaps of mother and daughter. [2] Her performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. RELATED: Nadia Comneci Scored a Perfect 10 at the Olympics 45 Years Ago. In the photo, the mother-daughter duo were all smiles with Skyla standing tall beside her world-famous mother. pic.twitter.com/qhggSex98D. Bestlifeonline.com is part of the Meredith Health Group. She now has her own YouTube channel, which she started in 2015. 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. https://twitter.com/mckennamckelley/status/1120331854186536962. In the clip, she can be seen holding her hands to her heart and blowing a kiss to the audience: Pretty sure we are all McKenna today. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Im pretty beat up, she says. It was a special weekend for the RI Sports Commission, GoProvidence, and Convention Center! When she was 18, Retton retired from professional gymnastics because she "wanted to be remembered as a winner" and not as "some struggling older athlete," per NBC Sports. You can see her performance in the video below, posted to Twitter by sports journalist Holly Rowe, who noted how lucky she felt watching the daughter of the gymnast she once idolized: I idolized @marylouretton now watching her lovely daughter @mckennamckelley is such a cool experience. But the equipment today is better, and they train smarter today.". (AP Photo/Suzanne Vlamis), Mary Lou Retton of the USA is hugged by her coach, Bela Karolyi, following her perfect performance in the floor exercise in Olympic individual all-around finals Friday night, Aug. 3, 1984 in Los Angeles. 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. Were a gymnastics family, she shared. The couple got married in January 2020. , It Runs in the Family: Mary Lou Retton's Daughter Nailed Her Floor Routine at the NCAA Finals, This 30-Minute Bollywood Dance Fusion Class Is a Heart-Pumping Workout, This 10-Minute Empowering Dance Workout Is All About Feeling Fierce, This Is the Right Way to Do a Burpee Plus Modifications That Don't Hurt, Rita Ora's "Body Slam" Workout May Look Silly, but Boy, Is It Effective, Nicole Scherzinger's Dumbbell Strength Workout Is the Fastest Way to Work Your Whole Body, Tracee Ellis Ross Can't Get Enough of This One Tracy Anderson Method Workout, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. [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). She emerged from the Olympics as the most photogenic, marketable athlete on the U.S. team, becoming the first female athlete to be depicted on a Wheaties box and launching a life of celebrity that receded but has never gone away. Our LSU parents den!!! But Kelley seems to be handling these expectations without breaking a sweat, as evidenced by her recent performance in the NCAA championships. 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. Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. 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. As Kelley stood up to take a final bow, the sea of purple-and-gold-clad fans went wild. Unlike her older sisters, Skyla isn't involved in collegiate gymnastics. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. 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Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. Mary Lou Retton cheers gymnast daughter's near-perfect routine When McKenna Kelley nailed her floor routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, no one was prouder than her mom,. Her university profile notes that, as a junior, Shayla qualified in three events at the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association's Individual Championships and won one. I wanted to tell people why., I knew I wanted to do it in a classy way, she continues. [6] (The original family name was "Rotunda. . 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. The perfect tummy control bodysuit, a popcorn gadget, more bestsellers starting at $8. He joined the Houston Chronicle in 1990 after stints at the Dallas bureau of United Press International (1984-90), the Waco Tribune-Herald (1978-84) and the Tyler Morning Telegraph (1975-78). RELATED: Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. She also posts frequently about her mom and dad. "She's never made us feel like we had . She was married to former University of Texas quarterback and Houston real estate developer Shannon Kelley, who now works for the Houston Baptist University athletic department. The retired Olympic gold-medal-winning gymnast revealed her split from her husband of 27 years publicly for the. And we trained hard - 70 vaults a day onto hard surfaces. That's where I am at this stage of life.". Advertisement Retton was every bit the proud mama when she decided to share a picture of herself and her beautiful daughter. At the same Olympics, Retton won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and the horse vault, and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. She posts videos about her daily life, which often feature her siblings and husband, Wyatt Schrepfer, who also studied at Baylor University. See Michael Jordan's Three Oldest Kids All Grown Up. This is a carousel. 744 posts. But McKenna Kelley, who exhibits the . Retton sailed through the Olympic Trials but, in an event that would not have happened these days, was allowed to appear in a post-trials exhibition and suffered a knee injury that required arthroscopic surgery six weeks before the Games. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { xhr.send(payload); LSU finished second at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, its fourth second-place finish since 2014, behind champions Oklahoma and ahead of third-place finishers UCLA. In her senior year, she scored a 9.8875 in the vault competition at the NCAA Team Finals. When McKenna Kelley nailed her floor routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, no one was prouder than her mom, Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. [16] She retired in 1986. She does have the option of returning as a fifth-year senior, however. Last year, the athlete tore her Achilles tendon and spent the season on the sidelines. Retton, 51, looked proud as could be of her daughter as she watched her perform in video captured from the Texas event. RELATED:Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. [18], In 1985, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member General Chuck Yeager. By signing up, I agree to the Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive emails from POPSUGAR. Senior night topped off with a PERFECT 10 on the floor #priceless #beyondproud #mckennasmom," she gushed in the caption. "Wow what a night! [17], Retton's hometown, Fairmont, West Virginia, named a road and a park in the town after her. Mary Lou Retton-Kelley lights up the cauldron during the 2002 Olympic Torch Relay Monday, Dec. 10, 2001, in Houston, TX. "Her voice is so distinct, and I can always hear it in the crowd," Kelley said. [23], In 1997, Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.
