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| Comaneci, Nadia (1961- ), Romanian-born gymnast, a favorite
of fans and the media at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montréal, Québec,
Canada, where she won three gold medals and a bronze medal in individual
competition, and a silver medal for the Romanian team's second-place finish.
Born in Oneºti, Comaneci was noticed by renowned Romanian gymnastics
coach Bela Karolyi (who later emigrated to the United States) when she
was six years old. Karolyi recruited her for the Romanian junior gymnastics
team, and in 1970 she won the national junior championship. Comaneci continued
winning in her age group and collected other junior titles until she began
senior competition in 1975, when she entered the European championships,
winning the all-around title and three individual events.
In 1976 Comaneci came to North America for the first time and won several pre-Olympic titles, often earning perfect scores for her routines. At the Olympics she became the first gymnast to receive a perfect score from the judges, earning a 10.00 in the uneven-bars event. She led Romania to the silver medal in the team competition, finishing behind the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), and then took the individual gold medals in the uneven-bars and the balance-beam events, while also winning the all-around competition. Comaneci went on to compete at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, winning individual gold medals in the floor-exercise and balance-beam events. In 1989 she defected from Romania to the United States. In 1996 she married American gymnast Bart Conner, who won two gold medals at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Nadia Comaneci dominated the women's gymnastics competition at the 1976 Olympics in Montréal, Canada. She received an unprecedented perfect score (10.00) from the judges for her performance on the uneven bars, captivating the fans and media. She won three gold medals at the competition, as well as a silver and a bronze. Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft
Corporation.
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| Miller, Shannon (l977- ), American gymnast, winner of
five medals at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. Shannon Miller
was born in Rolla, Missouri, and raised in Edmond, Oklahoma. She began
gymnastics at a young age, and in 1990 she earned a spot on the United
States national team. At the 1991 U.S. national championships in Cincinnati,
Ohio, she won the balance-beam event. At the 1991 world championships in
Indianapolis, Indiana, she placed sixth in the all-around competition and
tied for second in the uneven-bars event, helping the U.S. team to a second-place
finish.
Miller won the all-around at the 1992 U.S. Olympic trials. At the Olympic Games she finished second in the all-around competition, and she also earned a silver medal in the balance beam and bronze medals in the floor-exercise event, the uneven bars, and the team competition. At the 1993 world championships in Birmingham, England, Miller won gold medals in the all-around, the floor exercise, and the uneven bars. At the 1994 world championships in Brisbane, Australia, she again won the all-around and also captured the gold medal in the balance beam. She was the first American to win consecutive world championship gold medals in the all-around. At the 1995 Pan American Games in Mar del Plata, Argentina, she placed first in the all-around, the uneven bars, and the floor exercise, leading the U.S. squad to a victory in the team competition. Miller enrolled at the University of Oklahoma in 1995, but she continued to compete internationally. Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft
Corporation.
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| Retton, Mary Lou (1968- ), American gymnast, who won
the gold medal in women's gymnastics in the all-around competition at the
1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, becoming the first American to do so.
Retton was born in Fairmont, West Virginia. At the age of seven she enrolled
in a gymnastics class for children at West Virginia University. Within
a few years she was considered one of the best young gymnasts in the United
States, and in 1981 she was named to the U.S. junior national team. In
1982 Retton was invited to train at the U.S. Gymnastics Center in Houston,
Texas, under renowned Romanian-born coach Bela Karolyi. The next year Retton
became the first American woman to win the all-around title at Japan's
Chunichi Cup competition, and she won the first of three consecutive American
Cups (1983-1985).
At the 1984 Olympics Retton won five medals. In addition to the all-around gymnastics gold medal, she won a silver medal in the vault event and bronze medals in the floor exercise and uneven bars events. She also earned a silver in the team competition, as the American gymnastics team won its first Olympic medal since the 1948 Olympics in London. Retton's success in Los Angeles brought her instant fame, and she was named amateur athlete of the year by the Associated Press. In 1985 she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. She retired from competitive gymnastics in 1986. Following her retirement, Retton pursued a career as a motivational speaker and an actor. She also served as a television commentator at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. In 1994 the U.S. Olympic Committee established the Mary Lou Retton Award for athletic excellence, and in 1995 Retton won the Flo Hyman Award from the Women's Sports Foundation for her accomplishments. Microsoft® Encarta® Encyclopedia 2000. © 1993-1999 Microsoft
Corporation.
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