GYMNAST

Mary Lou Retton

1968 - Today

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Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an American retired gymnast. 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. Retton's performance made her one of the most popular athletes in the United States. Her gold medal win was historic as Retton was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastics. Read more on Wikipedia

Her biography is available in 34 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 31 in 2024). Mary Lou Retton is the 200th most popular gymnast (down from 182nd in 2024), the 15,937th most popular biography from United States (down from 14,895th in 2019) and the 9th most popular American Gymnast.

Mary Lou Retton is most famous for being the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal in gymnastics at the Olympics, achieving this at the 1984 Los Angeles Games. She was known not just for her athletic prowess but also for her infectious smile and positive attitude, which earned her a place in the hearts of many Americans during that time.

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Among GYMNASTS

Among gymnasts, Mary Lou Retton ranks 200 out of 370Before her are Ri Se-gwang, Yang Wei, Lori Fung, Tatiana Lysenko, Holger Behrendt, and Aliya Mustafina. After her are Gabriela Potorac, Dimosthenis Tampakos, Cristina Bontaș, Kōhei Uchimura, Sandra Izbașa, and Epke Zonderland.

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1968, Mary Lou Retton ranks 789Before her are Diego el Cigala, Ranko Matasović, Anca Tănase, Lim Su-kyung, Big Syke, and Jonathan Knight. After her are Ben Shepherd, An Han-bong, Masanori Sanada, Carsten Embach, Ben Shenkman, and Paulo Sérgio.

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Mary Lou Retton ranks 15,944 out of 20,380Before her are John O'Hurley (1954), Hans Niemann (2003), Dennis Daugaard (1953), Pete Domenici (1932), Larisa Oleynik (1981), and Ralph Yarborough (1903). After her are Bo Jackson (1962), J Mascis (1965), Brendon Urie (1987), Evan Bayh (1955), Bobby Lee (1971), and Taryn Thomas (1983).

Among GYMNASTS In United States

Among gymnasts born in United States, Mary Lou Retton ranks 9Before her are Simone Biles (1997), Shawn Johnson East (1992), Bart Conner (1958), Larry Nassar (1963), Aly Raisman (1994), and Gabby Douglas (1995). After her are Kerri Strug (1977), Peter Vidmar (1961), Julianne McNamara (1965), Shannon Miller (1977), McKayla Maroney (1995), and Dominique Moceanu (1981).