Retton’s love for gymnastics goes back all the way to the 1976 Summer Olympics when she watched Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci’s performance. She then signed up for lessons, dropped from school and moved to Houston, Texas, to get trained by Béla and Márta Károlyi. In 1983, she showed what she was worth, winning a gold medal at the American Cup and a silver one at the U.S. Nationals. In 1984, she took part in the Olympics in Los Angeles even if she just had knee surgery, and found herself in competition with Romanian gymnast Ecaterina Szabo.
