Speaking to Parade in 2016, the gold medalist noted that she doesn't give them pointers about the sport unless they ask for it. Im on a really good path, and Im happy with my life, Retton, 50, tells PEOPLE exclusively. Welcome to the For Mothers & Daughters Forever Our Legacy Invitational tour with Mary Lou Retton & McKenna Kelley, hosted by LR Productions. Dancing with the Stars airs Mondays (8 p.m. Retton, who wed Kelley in 1990, says that there wasnt one defining moment that led to their divorce, which was finalized in February. Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton, daughter McKenna bring invitational to Instead of pursuing gymnastics, Skyla was on the cheerleading team during her four years of high school. Mary Lou Retton Mary Lou Retton's official Instagram. To see Mary Lou Retton's four daughters, read about their accomplishments in the gym, and hear more about her family, read on. She was one of the most beautiful gymnasts I've ever seen. Tiger Nation, THANK YOU pic.twitter.com/M5cy5bZWUI. May Lou five medals on display in her home. Mary Lou Retton's five medals in the 1984 Olympics: Gold: All-around champion, scoring perfect 10.0s on the vault and floor exercise to win. With a famous mom like Olympic gymnastics superstar Mary Lou Retton, there must be some pressure for her daughter, McKenna Kelley, to take up the mantle of gymnastics greatness. She has been with the brand since starting as an intern nearly six years ago, covering all things entertainment across print and digital platforms. Retton doesn't like to interfere with her kids' gymnastics careers. Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Cheers on Daughter at NCAA - Yahoo! Among them, a bona fide gymnastics icon: Kelley's mom, Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win an Olympic all-around gold, who was flashing perfect-10 fingers, blowing kisses to Kelley, and getting tearful as she watched her daughter's team take home the runner-up trophy. Mary Lou Retton's daughter blazes new trail - ESPN.com Emma, who is the baby of the family at age 19, recently finished her freshman year on the gymnastics team at the University of Arkansas. Mary Lou Retton a member of the 1984 Olympic gymnastics team won five metals in LA. Now, Retton is back home in Texas with her family and taking time to rest after dealing with some DWTS-related injuries. Brianne Tracy is a staff writer on the PEOPLE music team. Unlike her older sisters, Skyla isn't involved in collegiate gymnastics. Mary Lou Retton, the Olympic all-around champion in 1984, is raising four daughters, and three of them are gymnasts. It was a doozy, but I'm recovering. https://twitter.com/mckennamckelley/status/1120331854186536962. As Kelley took her final bow after her stellar performance, the crowd went wild. You dont want to get hurt or anything!'. pic.twitter.com/qhggSex98D. pic.twitter.com/tedB7SG2jv. Are insane ticket costs pricing Astros fans out of Opening Day? } ); Senior night topped off with a PERFECT 10 on the floor #priceless #beyondproud #mckennasmom," she gushed in the caption. But she and her siblings were never forced to continue doing it if they didn't want to, which McKenna noted to Tiger Rag, an LSU magazine. 1997), and Emma (b. A women's gymnastics competition tour open to USA Gymnastics, NGA, & AAU levels 1-10 and Xcel divisions. For her performance, she was named Sports Illustrated Magazine's "Sportswoman of the Year." We collect and tell stories of people from all around the world. Wherever she ends up next year, shes sure to dazzle. Her university profile notes that, as a junior, Shayla qualified in three events at the National Collegiate Acrobatics and Tumbling Association's Individual Championships and won one. She was also on the school's acrobatics and tumbling team for all four years. "I try to make every competition I can," Retton said in a 2016 ESPN feature. "Very seldom, they'll come home and be having a problem on a skill or something and say, 'Mom, I'm having trouble, will you comment or what do you think. [emailprotected]. [8] She competed in the 1984 Olympic games in Los Angeles, California, during her sophomore year of high school. In the photo, the mother-daughter duo were all smiles with Skyla standing tall beside her world-famous mother. Retired American gymnast, Mary Lou Retton, took to social media to celebrate her look-alike daughter, Skylas graduation from high school. The tour, which will start this November, is open to gymnasts from the beginner competitive level through the junior level. I wanted to tell people why., I knew I wanted to do it in a classy way, she continues. Gosh it brings it all back!!! It was picture perfect, her daughter agreed. This year, Kelley is a senior. Now live in Houston with her husband and their four kids. Former gymnast and Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton was at the Rhode Island Convention Center hosting a gymnastics meet. No more high school for this young lady! There were women saying theyve been in the same predicament as myself [with a] long marriage and thanking me for giving them the hope and courage to continue, she says. It was just to say it in a way that I felt would let people know what Im going through but yet still do it with loving words.. 08/11/2004 (E. Joe Deering/Chronicle). McKenna won her first gymnastics competition when she was 17. After nearly 30 years of marriage, the couple divorced in 2018, but they still share their four daughters: Shayla Kelley, McKenna Kelley, Skyla Kelley, and Emma Kelley. The teenage beauty was pictured wearing the traditional graduation attire a navy blue graduation gown with oversized sleeves and cap. Verified. if( navigator.sendBeacon ) { But Kelley seems to be handling these expectations without breaking a sweat, as evidenced by her recent performance in the NCAA championships. 1 day ago, by Yerin Kim McKenna Kelley - LSU The couple got married in January 2020. Instead of pursuing gymnastics, Skyla was on the cheerleading team during her four years of high school. Our LSU parents den!!! See Her Now. See Her Now. [] Though Retton admits shes a pretty private person, she decided to share the news about her divorce in such a public manner so that she could be transparent about everything she had been going through. Happy Monday! she wrote in the caption alongside several happy face emojis. Retton recovered and, trailing Szabo entering her final event in the all-around at Los Angeles, received a perfect score of 10.0 on the "vault without fault" to win the gold medal by 0.05 points. Columbia College is not Columbia University! You had to watch ABC, because that was the only place to see us. Registered gymnasts will receive a custom GK leotard. Born with hip dysplasia and battered by years of constant training as a teenager, she has undergone 19 surgical procedures, including replacements for both hips and underwent back surgery in June prompted by a degenerative bone disorder. In addition to McKenna, Retton has three other daughters with ex Shannon Kelley: Shayla Rae, 24, Skyla Brae, 19, and Emma Jean, 16. 1995), McKenna (b. Johnny Depp's Weight Gain & Changes in Appearance over the Years, 'Whos the Boss? RELATED: Gymnast Carly Patterson Won Olympic Gold 17 Years Ago. LSU finished second at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, its fourth second-place finish since 2014, behind champions Oklahoma and ahead of third-place finishers UCLA. Retton was inspired by watching Nadia Comneci outshine defending Olympic two-event winner Olga Korbut on television at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, when she herself was eight years of age, and she took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia. RELATED:Kerri Strug's Heroic Vault Was 25 Years Ago. ", Houston, she said, "has become home to me. Nadia Comneci Scored a Perfect 10 at the Olympics 45 Years Ago. For Kelley, a senior at LSU, the night was a triumphant personal comeback. She also participated in several cheer competitions, per Yahoo! But after all is said and done, she is just a kid from a small West Virginia town who has become one of the most familiar faces and most beloved citizens in the fourth-largest city in America. Ever. At 26 years old, Shayla is Retton's eldest daughter. [26], Retton has many commercial endorsements, including bowling and shampoo. : Mary Lou Retton Photos & Info, List of competitive results at Gymn Forum, Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics Women's All-Around, Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year, United States women's national soccer team, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Lou_Retton&oldid=1142782427, Olympic gold medalists for the United States in gymnastics, Olympic silver medalists for the United States in gymnastics, Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in gymnastics, Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics, Sportspeople from Fairmont, West Virginia, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Short description is different from Wikidata, FIG template using Wikidata property P7440, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 10:13. I will not be taking a fifth year, she shared on Today, to which her mother enthusiastically replied, Thank God.. Legendary Olympians Who've Been Honored on Wheaties Boxes. Nadia Comneci Scored a Perfect 10 at the Olympics 45 Years Ago. She brought the look to a finish wearing tall black heels and with her dark brown hair styled into a straight-edged cut. Reels. When she was 18, Retton retired from professional gymnastics because she "wanted to be remembered as a winner" and not as "some struggling older athlete," per NBC Sports. If you have any concerns about the accuracy of our content, please reach out to our editors by e-mailing She'll be starting her junior year this fall and is in the Alpha Phi sorority. Now live in Houston with her husband and their four kids. Gymnast Carly Patterson Won Olympic Gold 17 Years Ago. Mary Lou Retton | Bio, Age, Career, Husband, Kids, Retirement, Salary She would be eligible to remain on the team for one more season but the student-athlete says she wont be taking advantage of that opportunity. "All my problems came after I had my babies. Though Retton would have liked to stay longer in the competition, shes excited to go back to set in two weeks for the finale and plans on keeping in touch with her pro-dancing partner Sasha Farber. Retton won the gold medal in the event. Now, her daughter McKenna Kelley is following in her footsteps, as she just performed a near-perfect routine at the NCAA championships on Sunday as her proud . You see Dance Moms and you see how crazy those moms are and you just assume that an Olympic champion would want her child to be like that. She also became the first American woman to be an Olympic all-around champion an honor she held alone until the ongoing five-peat of American all-around champions (in order: Carly Patterson in 2004 in Athens, Nastia Liukin in 2008 in Beijing, Gabby Douglas in 2012 in London, Simone Biles in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and Suni Lee in 2021 in Tokyo). All four of their children have been involved with gymnastics, like their mom, who, at 53, is working in sports once again, managing a new competitive tour. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. "If it didn't work out, I would go back to Fairmont, W.Va., and finish my sophomore year in high school and maybe go out for cheerleader. #allthefeels #lsugym @mckennamckelley @LSUgym pic.twitter.com/DbmbuWFazK, Alison Stevens (@AlisonMichele93) April 21, 2019. When McKenna Kelley nailed her floor routine at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships, no one was prouder than her mom, Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. In the backyard play area Mary Lou with her four daughters Shayla,9 McKenna,7 Skyla,4 and Emma,2 Mary Lou Retton a member of the 1984 Olympic gymnastics team won five metals in LA. Watch Kelley's finals floor routine above (wait until the end to see Retton cheering along). How Many Kids Do Ben and Erin Napier Have? Shes worked really hard to come back from a serious injury, did two events and was ready to do beam tonight. If anything, when we were growing up shed be like, You should quit. 744 posts. As to whether she has gotten a chance to step back into the dating pool, Retton says, Not yet!, Im scared a little bit, she says. Olympian Mary Lou Retton, daughter bring invitational to Providence She also scored a perfect 10 on a floor exercise at a meet against Oregon State University. ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb, While McKenna grew up with a world-famous Olympian, she says that her mom never pressured her into becoming a gymnast. When Louisiana State University gymnast McKenna Kelley nailed the final floor routine of the night at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, no one was prouder than her mom, Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton. I dont think I understood the enormity of what she did and the groundbreaking gymnastics she did at the time. I'm so grateful to be following you on social media: you were my first ever hero @marylouretton, and I wanted to be just like you.. That sucked all the calcium out of me," she said, laughing. Did having her mom there make Kelley nervous? Im not one to air my dirty laundry, but for the entire show I kept talking about struggles and challenges and how I lost myself and all of that, she says.