Mary Lou Retton is an American retired gymnast. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she won a gold medal in the individual all-around competition, as well as two silver medals and two bronze medals.
Retton as a member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, 2004
Retton performing splits on a balance beam, 1985
President Ronald Reagan and Retton with the U.S. Olympic Team in Los Angeles, 1984
Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, back, chest, and abdominal muscle groups. Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.
Daniele Hypólito performing on the balance beam
Friedrich Ludwig Jahn, the "father of gymnastics"
Early 20th-century gymnastics in Stockholm, Sweden
Nadia Comăneci in 1976. The artistry and grace of Comăneci and Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut gave the sport global popularity.