The gymnastics champion sprang to stardom at the 1984 Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in the all-around competition. Her family is raising money online, saying she lacks health insurance.
May Lou Retton at the 1984 Olympics, where she won five medals.
Mary Lou Retton, who became one of the most popular athletes in the country after winning the all-around women’s gymnastics competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, has pneumonia and is “fighting for her life” in the intensive care unit, her daughter said in a statement this week.
Retton’s daughter McKenna Lane Kelley said on Instagram that her mother “is not able to breathe on her own” and that she had been in the intensive care unit for more than a week.
Kelley asked for donations to help pay for her mother’s hospital bills, saying her mother lacked health insurance. By Wednesday, she had raised more than $260,000 online from more than 4,600 donors.
She did not share more specific information about her mother’s condition, though she said that her pneumonia was “a very rare form.” It was not clear what hospital Retton was in.
Kelley, who was a gymnast at Louisiana State University, did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, another daughter, Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, released a video on Instagram thanking people for “all the love and support that you’ve given to my mom.”
“She’s still fighting,” Schrepfer said. “It’s going to be a day-by-day process, and we hope that you guys will respect her boundaries, as we want to keep the details between her and our family right now. She has been treated with the best of the best professionals here, and it has been such a blessing to have their hands on her.”
At the 1984 Olympics, Retton became the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal or any individual Olympic medal in gymnastics. Going into the final rotation of the competition, she was five-hundredths of a point behind Romania’s Ecaterina Szabo, and the only way she could beat Szabo was to score a perfect 10 on vault.
Retton scored a perfect 10.
She won five medals in Los Angeles, including two silvers, for team and vault, and two bronzes, for uneven bars and floor exercise.
Though there was an asterisk by Retton’s victory in the history books — the Soviet Union, which was the most dominant force in women’s gymnastics at the time, boycotted the 1984 Games — it nonetheless made her a sports hero in the United States. In addition to earning her the traditional trappings of Olympic gold, like appearing on a Wheaties box, she was widely viewed as an inspiration to a new generation of American girls entering gymnastics.
Even as the American gymnastics program grew and the country won more medals, including the team gold in 1996, Retton’s prominence remained: For 20 years, Retton, now 55, was the only American woman to win the all-around title, until Carly Patterson became the second in 2004.
Retton was born in Fairmont, W.Va., and got her start early, like many top gymnasts. By the time Retton was 7 years old, she was training in gymnastics full-time.
Retton’s talent had been apparent from the start, but a big break came at an Olympics elimination tournament in Reno, Nev., in 1982, where she impressed Bela Karolyi, who would go on to coach her in the 1984 Olympics.
“I immediately recognized the tremendous physical potential of this little kid,” Karolyi said in a March 1984 interview.
Retton appeared in a number of films and TV shows in the late 1980s and 1990s, including the comedy film “Scrooged.”
After her athletic career, Retton became a motivational speaker to promote the benefits of proper nutrition and regular exercise.
The Cow Math Puzzle: A Brain Teaser for the Curious Mind
Have you heard about the latest math problem with a cow that has been trending on Twitter a lot? This brainteaser has people arguing about the right answer because of its charming cottage aesthetic. So let’s get started and try to figure it out together!
The Enigma: A Bovine and Several Figures
The puzzle goes like this:
So, what is the right response?
Assuming you have been paying attention, you may have guessed it already. This arithmetic problem involving cows has a correct solution of $400. Let’s dissect it in detail:
Additional Brain Teasers to Test Your Ability
If you had fun figuring out the cow math puzzle, try your hand at these other brainteasers:
Is It Possible to Identify the Odd Bunny?
Brain puzzles created by artist Gergerly Dudas are renowned for their intricate and visually appealing designs. All the bunnies, save for one, are paired in one of his drawings. Can you identify the outlier?
2. Locate the Perplexing Mouse in the Mushrooms
Look more closely among the fungus in this illustration by Gergely Dudas. Could you locate the elusive rodent?
3. Identify the Error
These clever riddles demonstrate how appearances may be deceiving. Can you identify the error?
Increase Your Cognitive Health Using Brain Teasers
Playing with puzzles such as these has benefits beyond mere amusement. They offer numerous cognitive advantages, such as improving memory, critical thinking, and problem-solving abilities. It helps us maintain our minds flexible and sharp like a mental exercise.
Furthermore, the thrill of solving a difficult problem gives one a sense of accomplishment and confidence boost. So, keep in mind that solving puzzles like Sudoku, riddles, and brainteasers not only gives you a great mental workout but also has a significant positive impact on your general cognitive health.
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