Long before Spring gymnast Simone Biles became a household name and the darling of the 2016 Olympics, there was Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton.
Retton was one of the surprises of the 1984 games in Los Angeles where she flipped and vaulted her way to five medals, including a gold for the individual all-around competition. Retton was the first American gymnast ever to win the all-around gold.
Her million-dollar smile quickly made her one of the most popular athletes in the world and “America’s Sweetheart.”
Retton and 11 Sports anchor Matt Musil reminisced about the ’84 games when she dropped by KHOU 11 studios Friday.
Back then, there was only one U.S. gymnastics coach at the Olympics. Retton had trained in Houston under the watchful eye of gymnastics legend Bela Karolyi. Be he wasn’t allowed to coach her in L.A.
“It was a horrible situation in 1984. You get to the most important competition of your life and they say, ‘Ok, this isn’t going to be your coach anymore. This person is,’” Retton remembered. “I mean it’s silly. It’s ridiculous.”
Karolyi had to sleep in his car while in L.A. and sneak into the competitions with an equipment manager’s credential.
Fast forward 32 years, and Retton watched proudly as Biles dominated the Olympics competition in Rio.
“She is the best on planet earth. She is the best gymnast I’ve ever seen, truly,” Retton said. “The explosiveness, the athleticism, the powerfulness that she has… she’s special.”
The American team dubbed themselves “The Final Five,” in honor of Marta Karolyi, who is retiring after taking over coaching duties from Bela.
“It was time for them to step down but boy, what a legacy they have created,” Retton said. “I’m so honored and proud to be their first American student and actually win them gold here in this country.”
Retton pointed out the system the Karolyis had in place obviously worked.
“I mean from ’84 to 2016, we are the dominant force on the globe,” Retton said. “Winning a team competition by eight points, it doesn’t happen. In football terms, it would be like winning by eight touchdowns.”
Mary Lou stays busy these days raising her four daughters and watching them compete in gymnastics and cheerleading. Her oldest daughter, Shayla, is a gymnast at Baylor. McKenna got a full gymnastics scholarship to LSU. Skyla and Emma are also talented athletes.
Retton has been married to former UT quarterback Shannon Kelley for 25 years and they still live in Houston.
You can watch Matt’s entire interview Sunday night at 10:30 p.m. on Sports Extra.