Famous Female Olympic and World Champion Gymnasts - by Anne Shier (a.k.a. "Annie")

By Anne Shier

(from the web site:  http://gymnastics.about.com/od/famousgymnasts/Famous_Gymnasts.htm)

Read all about the legends of gymnastics: the "Queen of Gymnastics" from Romania, Nadia Comaneci, the first US Olympic All-Around Gold Medalist, Mary Lou Retton, and more recent female stars, such as Carly Patterson.

Nadia Comaneci:

The most recognized name in gymnastics, Comaneci won five Olympic gold medals and was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 in Olympic competition.

Born:  November 12, 1961 in Onesti, Romania

Started Gymnastics:  1967 (at age six)

Retired: 1981 (at age 20)

Coaches:  Bela & Martha Karolyi

Cool Skills She’s Performed:

Nadia Comaneci has two moves named after her on the uneven bars. One is a toe-on, half-turn to a back flip dismount, while the other is a release move (a cast to straddle front flip) that is still rated at a high difficulty level today. (It is an “E” on an A-G scale with “A” the easiest.)

Some of her Gymnastic Accomplishments:

Nadia Comaneci was the first gymnast to score a perfect 10.0 in the Olympics. She did it at the 1976 Games, and then went on to score six more 10.0s and win three gold medals.

Comaneci was also the first Romanian gymnast to win the all-around title at the Olympics, and is the youngest ever all-around champion.

In 1979 Comaneci became the first gymnast to win three all-around titles at the European Championships.  At the 1980 Moscow Olympics, Comaneci won her second Olympic gold medal on beam, and took home another gold on floor and a silver medal in the all-around.

Awards:

Comaneci was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1993, and has twice (1984, 2004) received the Olympic Order, the most prestigious award given by the International Olympic Committee. In 1999, ABC News and Ladies Home Journal named her as one of the 100 Most Important Women of the 20th Century.

Post-Retirement Info:

Comaneci defected to the United States in 1989.

She and her husband, Bart Conner, are owners of the Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy, and are also involved with International Gymnast magazine, Perfect 10 Productions, Inc. (television production) and Grips, Etc. (gymnastics supplies).

Comaneci also supports the Nadia Comaneci Gymnastics School in her hometown of Onesti, Romania.

Shawn Johnson:

Johnson won the all-around and floor exercise at the 2007 Worlds, and is a 2-time National All-Around Champion. She's one to watch in Beijing and beyond.

Nastia Liukin:

This current gymnastics star is famous for the incredible number of titles she's brought home in the all-around, uneven bars and balance beam in the past four years.

Shannon Miller:

One of the most decorated American gymnasts of all time, Miller has won seven Olympic medals and nine World Championships medals.

Dominique Dawes:

Olympic champion Dominique Dawes won the team gold with the Magificent Seven in 1996, and qualified for three Olympic teams in all.

Alicia Scramone:

Alicia Sacramone is a three-time World Medalist on vault. Find out all about her gymnastics accomplishments, cool skills, and her life outside the gym.

Carly Patterson:

Patterson won the 2004 Olympic all-around gold, and is now working to launch a singing career. Find out about her gymnastics accomplishments and life after the Olympics.

Chellsie Memmel:

Chellsie Memmel won two World gold medals in 2003, and was the 2005 World All-Around Champion. Find out more about her gymnastics career, her life, and the cool skills she performs.

Cheng Fei:

Cheng Fei is a Chinese superstar in the sport of gymnastics. Find out all about her gymnastics career, her accomplishments, and her personal life.

Mary Lou Retton:

Mary Lou Retton was the first American woman to become an Olympic champion in the all-around. Though her gymnastics career was short, she dominated the early 1980s. Find out more about her many accolades, as well as her current family life and professional career.

Steliana Nistor:

Romanian gymnast Steliana Nistor took 4th all-around at the 2006 Worlds, then captured the silver in 2007. Can she move up one more spot at the Olympics?

Dominique Moceanu:

Moceanu was a part of the USA team that won gold in Atlanta in 1996, and has become one of the most popular gymnasts of all time. Find out about her favorite moments in the sport, her recent marriage, and her current life as a coach.

This, then, concludes my list of the most famous Olympic and World Champions in Women’s Gymnastics.

copyright 2014, Anne Shier.  All rights reserved.