Word: retton
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...undernourished, and criticism began to emerge that the program drove adolescent girls too hard in service of demanding parents and coaches. Much of the criticism was aimed at Karolyi, the former Romanian coach who brought the world Nadia Comaneci and later trained such U.S. stars as Mary Lou Retton and Kim Zmeskal...
...entered the Olympics in 1928, the United States won only three team medals. But with a squad mixed with veterans from 1992 and new youth, and the support of a raucous crowd of 32,048, the team made history. "We've spent a long time waiting," said Mary Lou Retton, who led the team to silver in the boycotted 1984 games. "To win in Barcelona would have been marvelous. To do it at home is oh, so sweet." The gold seemed like a sure thing for the Americans until the final event, when 14-year-old Dominique Moceanu fell...
...Moceanu is keeping a firm grip on reality. "I want a medal, maybe even a gold on the beam." She pauses, then shrugs and adds, "A medal in the all-around." While neither achievement would place her in the firmament of such all-around stars as Comaneci and Retton, if Moceanu can be her witty, outspoken self in Atlanta, a strong performance should be enough to earn her Olga Korbut honors: sweetheart of the Summer Games...
...just 4 ft. 6 1/2 in. and a slight 72 lbs., Moceanu is a fetching gamine who can ignite an arena with her Audrey Hepburn-like looks and contagious ebullience. "Dominique's best point is her personality," says her coach, the legendary Bela Karolyi, who trained both Comaneci and Retton. "Joking. Talking. Kidding. That will be her trademark...
Furthermore, not only was it an amazing clutch performance, but it put her on the box of Wheaties for the next eight months. I guess the idea was that you too can be a champion like Retton, as long as you're under five feet tall and able to distort your body like a Yoga master...