Mary Lou Retton gives first public comments since release from hospital. What did she say?
Recently released from hospital, the former gymnastics icon has now given her first comments since her battle with severe illness over the last month.
Though her road to recovery remains a long one, the former Olympic gold medalist is now home with family, something that will undoubtedly go a long way toward helping her regain her health fully.
Mary Lou Retton makes first public comments since sickness
According to reports, former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton made her first public comment on Monday since she was released from a Texas hospital on October 23rd. If you caught our previous reports, Retton was battling a rare form of pneumonia which left her unable to breathe without assistance and “fighting for her life,” according to her daughter, Mckenna Kelley, who started a gofundme page at the time in an effort to raise money for her mother’s medical expenses.
In a post on Instagram, the one-time Team USA star expressed that she was “overwhelmed with all the love and support from the world” as she continues her recovery process. “I’m with family continuing to recover and stay positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process,” Retton wrote in the post. “I appreciate everyone’s respect of my privacy at this time. When the time is right, I will be sharing more information about my health issues and hope I can help others who may face the same battle as me. I love you all.”
Who is Mary Lou Retton?
It was during the 1984 Summer Olympics in 1984 that Retton, who is now 55 years old, became an American icon. Not only did she win all-around gold becoming the first American woman to do so, but she also won silver in the team and vault events, as well as bronze in floor exercise and uneven bars. It’s also worth noting that Retton’s all-around gold was the first by any American competitor since Julius Lenhart did so in 1904. Adding further context to that notion is the fact that Lenhart was an Austrian citizen who was competing through an American gymnastics club for Team U.S.A. during the early years of the modern Olympics.
Yet, perhaps what makes Retton’s achievements that summer even more special, is that she had underdone knee surgery just five weeks prior. Of course, as she entered her final rotation in need of a perfect 10 on the vault, she did what she would do many more times: She stuck her landing and won gold. That famous win came at the height of Soviet dominance in gymnastics. With the former U.S.S.R. boycotting that summer’s Olympics, however, the Americans managed to secure a historic win. It would be 20 years before another managed to do the same, with Paul Hamm and Carly Patterson doing so in 2004. After retiring from gymnastics in 1986, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997. Interestingly, Retton would go on to receive a number of roles in various television shows and movies and even served on the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during George W. Bush’s administration.