![]() ![]() "I never thought that I'd have that Olympic moment," she said. ![]() Minutes later, in one of the iconic images of the Atlanta Games, Karolyi had to carry his injured pupil out to the medal podium so she could receive her gold medal. But Strug nailed her second vault and clinched the victory for the Americans before collapsing on the floor in pain. After Strug badly sprained her ankle on her first vault, the U.S.'s gold-medal chances were in doubt. win bronze in the team event, but failed to qualify for the individual all-around.įour years later, a single gutsy effort turned Strug into a household name overnight. At 14 - an age which would render her ineligible for senior-level competition under today's rules - she helped the U.S. Strug was the youngest member of the U.S. "I didn't have all that added pressure of making everybody pick up their lives and change everything." " was my thing, and they were there to support me, but they weren't pushing me," she said. Looking back, Strug knows that her parents' decision to let her go it alone benefited the entire family. "When you do that on a normal basis, you're able to perform under various circumstances, and that's what I needed." "I choose Bela as my coach because he pushed me past my point of comfort each and every day," she said. One month shy of her 13th birthday, she left home for a Texas training camp. Strug was just a kid when she tried to convince her family to move to Houston, so she could train with Karolyi. Because Retton trained with legendary Romanian coach Bela Karolyi, who had also helped Nadia Comaneci rise to the top as the first Olympic gymnast to score a 10.0, Strug turned to him. Inspired by Mary Lou Retton's dramatic all-around victory at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, 6-year-old Strug dreamed of becoming a gymnast. The couple will see if their roots take hold in Arizona. But her husband, an attorney, has accepted a prosecutor position in Tucson. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in Washington after her maternity leave. The career-oriented Strug hopes to return to her post at the U.S. "Everybody tells you it's going to happen, but until you have one, you don't get it." "It's different how your perspective changes once you have a kid," she said. Sixteen years after her dramatic star turn in Atlanta, Strug's latest challenge - motherhood - is top of mind. She now resides in her hometown of Tucson, Ariz., with her husband, Robert Fischer, and their first child, Tyler, born March 1, 2012. The performance made her one of the most celebrated athletes of those Games.Īside from Strug's petite frame and composure, today you may not recognize the 34-year-old. The gymnast once known for her poise in practice but an inability to deliver in competitions turned out to be the team's ticket to the top of the podium at those Olympics.Ĭompeting on an ankle she had injured during her first vault, Strug clinched gold for the Magnificent Seven in the team event - the U.S.'s first gold in that event in Olympic history - by sticking her second vault when it counted most. ![]() In 1996, Kerri Strug's dramatic turn in the final rotation of the team competition made her the poster child of the Atlanta Games, and won her universal admiration. ![]() Olympic Sports, Olympics, Artistic Gymnastics You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser ![]()
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