Liukin and Johnson: New power pair Aug 20, 2008
She tied the U.S. gymnastics record of five Olympic medals at one Games, set by Mary Lou Retton in 1984 and duplicated by Shannon Miller in Barcelona in 1992. She also now holds bragging rights in her own house - with one more medal than her dad and coach, Valeri, who won four medals in Seoul in 1988 while competing for the Soviet Union. (MSNBC -- Sports)
An international arena Aug 20, 2008
Visa has an ad that helps viewers relive the Olympics victory by US gymnast Mary Lou Retton, but its tagline, "Go World," suggests a broader view. And sports a frenetic, animated ad showing Chinese basketball player Yao Ming and a host of national icons such as pandas and a dragon taking on US counterpart LeBron James, who counters with a cowboy, an eagle, and Santa Claus. (Boston Globe)
Top track contenders Richards, Jones have disappointing finishes Aug 20, 2008
Her five medals matches the feat first achieved by Mary Lou Retton and duplicated by Shannon Miller. Miller remains the top medal winner in U.S. women's gymnastics history with seven. (Anchorage Daily News)
RETTON: America needs a new hero Aug 20, 2008
Mary Lou Retton became America's sweetheart after winning the women's all-around in the 1984 Games ... By Marlen Garcia, USA TODAY Mary Lou Retton set a standard 24 years ago by which all U.S. women's gymnasts are measured. (USA Today -- Sports)
Gymnasts restore U.S. glitter with solid performance Aug 20, 2008
The 5-3 Texan has tied Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller for most medals won by an American gymnast ... Liukin has secured a legacy at least alongside the sport's most famous American gymnasts Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller. (USA Today -- Sports)
Day 11: U.S. gold in wrestling & gymnastics Aug 20, 2008
Mary Lou Retton did it in 1984 and Shannon Miller in 1992. China's men won two more events, with Zou Kai winning high bar and Li Xaiopeng winning parallel bars. (KGW Northwest NewsChannel 8, OR -- Sports)
Elusive gold leaves US' Johnson beaming Aug 20, 2008
Liukin, who arrived here in Johnson's shadow, departed as queen of the gym with five medals, tying Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller for most at one Games by an American and surpassing father/coach Valeri's four for the Soviet Union in 1988. "To say that I have five medals at my first Olympic Games means the world to me," said Liukin, who earned the gold in all-around, silvers in team, beam, and uneven bars (losing the gold on the second tiebreaker), and bronze on floor exercise. (Boston Globe -- Sports)
U.S. women's 1st discus gold since '32 Aug 19, 2008
Growing up in Arroyo Grande in the San Luis Obispo area, Stephanie Brown was not destined to follow in the tiny footsteps of her idol at the time, pixie gymnast Mary Lou Retton. "I had a Mary Lou Retton leotard I wore all the time," said Brown-Trafton, who eventually grew to be 6-4 and 225 pounds. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Sports)
At track, red and white and a little less blue Aug 19, 2008
"I want to meet Mary Lou Retton, so please, someone hook me up," Brown Trafton said. "She was my idol. I had a leotard like hers but I got too big to be a gymnast.". (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Hurdlers restore luster to U.S. athletics squad Aug 19, 2008
Back then, she wanted to be a gymnast, wearing her Mary Lou Retton leotard constantly. After three mostly miserable nights of an Olympic track meet, the American team had won only three medals, a silver by shot-putter Christian Cantwell and bronzes by Walter Dix in the 100 and Shalane Flanagan in the 10,000. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Phelps' latest quest may be his toughest Aug 19, 2008
She was the all-around Olympic champion gymnast, the Mary Lou Retton, of Athens only a year earlier. Phelps, of course, will never fade into that kind of obscurity, not for the rest of his life. (The Palm Beach Post)
Will Phelps (the brand) endure? Aug 19, 2008
But gymnast Mary Lou Retton turned a gold medal in the 1984 Olympics into a career of speaking engagements, TV appearances and commentaries that's still going strong, Sweeney said. Phelps has earned his shot at a very elite tryout, Sweeney said. (News & Observer)
U.S. gymnasts headed to San Diego Aug 19, 2008
The special will be hosted this year by 1984 Olympic all-around gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton. Frosted Pink with a Twist was created by Mike Burg, chief executive officer of Edge Entertainment and Edge Marketing & Management. (San Diego Union-Tribune)
Perfection still an opinion Aug 18, 2008
THE most decorated athlete of the Los Angeles Olympics, Mary Lou Retton, stood unnoticed at a corporate function in Beijing while she was introduced from the stage as "the only US gymnast to win an individual gold medal at an Olympics". "Not any more," said the diminutive Retton in one of those American voices which carry across a large room. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Coughlin Makes History in the Pool with Silver Medal Performance Aug 18, 2008
At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Coughlin became the third American woman to win five medals at one Olympics (the others are Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller). She took gold in the 100-meter backstroke and the 800 freestyle relay, breaking the world record in that event. (Calbears.com)
Will gold turn gymnast Liukin into the next Mary Lou? Aug 17, 2008
Liukin tumbled her way into American hearts by joining compatriot Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson as the only US women to have won the coveted Olympic all-round gymnastics crown. For more than two decades, 1984 champion Retton set the standard for little girls who took up the sport in the hope of becoming the next Mary Lou. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Turning Olympic medals into cash Aug 17, 2008
It has been 24 years since Mary Lou Retton s golden moment at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, yet 75 percent of Americans still recognize her name, according to Davie Brown Talent, a division of the Marketing Arm, a Dallas-based promotions agency. In contrast, only 10 percent recognize Carly Patterson, who won the all-around gold in 2004 at Athens, Greece. (Racine Journal Times, WI)
Abrahamson: Liukin's gold was artistry over athleticism Aug 16, 2008
Nastia now joins Mary Lou Retton, in 1984, and Carly Patterson, in 2004, as the only American all-around winners. "Just hearing Olympic champion' next to my name is the greatest feeling in the world," Nastia said. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Liukin fixes dad's mistake Aug 16, 2008
Valeri said he could not have imagined as he stood on the medal dais in 1988 that his daughter would become just the third American woman after Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson to win the Olympic all-around title. He was emotional yesterday, as was his daughter, who had been inspired by her daily glimpse of gold in her Texas home. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
Liukin all-around best Aug 16, 2008
Liukin's victory likely will inspire a generation of youngsters just like Mary Lou Retton did with her all-around win in 1984 and Carly Patterson did four years ago. The difference this time is that Americans finished 1-2, with reigning world champion Shawn Johnson getting silver. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Phelps ties Spitz mark in blink of an eye Aug 16, 2008
Liukin joined Mary Lou Retton, who won in 1984, and Carly Patterson, who won in 2004, as the third American woman to win the Olympic all-around title. Comments. (Fresno Bee -- Local)
Chinese gymnasts must be kidding Aug 16, 2008
It did everything for Mary Lou Retton, yet the name of America s only other all-around golden girl, Carly Patterson, is the answer to a trivia question. And that was just four years ago. (The Palm Beach Post)
Nastia breaks Chinese hearts Aug 16, 2008
325 and emulate the feat of fellow Americans Mary Lou Retton and Carly Patterson. Liukin edged out compatriot and world champion Shawn Johnson by 0. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
The Ballerina vs. the Energizer Bunny Aug 16, 2008
Her style is inherited from Mary Lou Retton, whono accidentJohnson greeted in the audience after she completed the stunning floor routine that would bring her the silver medal ... It was a historic competition for many reasons: This is only the third time an American has won the gold all-around medal: Mary Lou Retton won in 1984, when the Soviets weren't competing, and Carly Patterson surprisingly beat out everyone, including , in Athens in 2004. (Slate)
Olympic stars struggle to score showbiz gold Aug 15, 2008
These 2008 U.S. Olympians may end up being endorsers in the mold of Bruce Jenner or Mary Lou Retton ... Two of the most marketable U.S. Olympic athletes in modern times, gymnast Mary Lou Retton and decathlete Bruce Jenner, won a comparatively small number of golds just two and one, respectively. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Gymnastics matters ... every four years Aug 15, 2008
These 2008 U.S. Olympians may end up being endorsers in the mold of Bruce Jenner or Mary Lou Retton ... Olga Korbut's grin and mind-numbing flexibility was an iconic moment of the 1972 Olympics (along with Mark Spitz' seven gold medals), Nadia Comaneci all of 14 earned the first perfect 10 from judges in Montreal (where the scoreboards didnt even go up that high), and Mary Lou Retton captured the hearts of millions in her home country in 1984 before gracing the side of a Wheaties Box... (MSNBC -- Politics)
Liukin, Johnson take gold, silver in all-around competition Aug 15, 2008
Past Olympic champion Dominique Dawes, a 1996 team gold medalist, and Mary Lou Retton, the 1984 all-around winner, have used the same words to described Johnson: rock solid. At 4-9 and weighing 90 pounds, Johnson is all muscle and power. (USA Today -- Sports)
Liukin is the golden child Aug 15, 2008
Liukin becomes only the third American woman to claim the coveted all-around title, joining her training partner at her Texas gym, Carly Patterson, from 2004 and Mary Lou Retton from 1984. It was the first time, though, Americans went gold-silver. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Liukin edges Johnson for all-around gold Aug 15, 2008
And Liukin has every chance of being the kind of sporting icon Mary Lou Retton became. She has the looks, the personality, the athleticism -- and, yes, the gold -- to be a crossover star. (Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier)
Golden girls? Pasts decidedly different, but dreams the same Aug 14, 2008
Johnson is stockier, perkier, the second coming of Mary Lou Retton. Liukin's father was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2005. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Column: Olympics just not the same to me Aug 14, 2008
Then there was Mark Spitz winning seven gold medals and Olga Corbett and Mary Lou Retton. Who can forget the "Miracle on Ice?". (Niles Star, MI)
Olympic stars struggle in showbiz Aug 14, 2008
Two of the most marketable U.S. Olympic athletes in modern times, gymnast Mary Lou Retton and decathlete Bruce Jenner, won a comparatively small number of golds -- just two and one, respectively ... Two of the most marketable U.S. Olympic athletes in modern times, gymnast Mary Lou Retton and decathlete Bruce Jenner, won a comparatively small number of golds -- just two and one, respectively. (Hollywood Reporter)
Your favorite U.S. Olympic moment Aug 14, 2008
1984: Mary Lou Retton, age 16, wins all-around gold. 1968: Tommie Smith, John Carlos raise fist on 200m medal stand. (AZCentral -- Sports)
Women's gymnastics: After settling for team silver, U.S. now focuses on individual glory (Today) Aug 14, 2008
Olga Korbut, Nadia Comaneci, Mary Lou Retton, Shannon Miller, Svetlana Khorkina, they're remembered for signature individual moments and medals. And so that's what Johnson, 16, and Liukin, 18, are aiming for. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)
Olympics: Overnight roundup Aug 14, 2008
Only Mary Lou Retton (gold in 1984), Carly Patterson (gold in 2004) and Shannon Miller (silver in 1992) have medaled for the U.S.. COMMENT ON THIS ARTICLE. (Erie Times-News, PA)
U.S. gymnasts settle for silver, China wins gold Aug 13, 2008
Bela Karolyi, the famous coach of former all-around champions Mary Lou Retton of the U.S. and Romanian expatriate Nadia Comaneci, insists the Chinese are cheating. "It's a slap in the face in front of the world," he said. (USA Today -- Sports)
Down With the Perfect 10! Aug 13, 2008
"It's hard to understand. I don't even understand it," Mary Lou Retton told the Times. "Back in the old days you'd know what that means," sniffed NBC commentator Tim Daggett (himself the recipient of a 10. (Slate)
Couple lured back to Chinafor pretzels? Aug 11, 2008
From gymnast Mary Lou Retton to boxer Muhammad Ali, catch 25 legendary athletes in action. more photos. (MSNBC -- International)
Beijing couples rush to wed on lucky day Aug 9, 2008
From gymnast Mary Lou Retton to boxer Muhammad Ali, catch 25 legendary athletes in action. The South China Morning Post, Ho. (MSNBC -- International)
U.S. gymnasts beaming with confidence Aug 9, 2008
Mary Lou Retton gave the sport a boost in her homeland when she hit her perfect 10, brought home the gold and took up residence on a Wheaties box in 1984. But everybody in the sport knew that as great as Mary Lou was, she hadnt beaten the Soviets, who stayed home from the Games out of spite at the Americans, who had boycotted the Moscow Games in 1980. (MSNBC -- Sports)
The True Olympic Spirit Aug 9, 2008
" Really, isn't that what the Olympics are all about? Sure, the competition is great, and the glare of the spotlight makes for dramatic moments every four years. But the vast majority of participants go home empty handed. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, some 10,625 athletes competed in 301 events. In those events, 929 medals were awarded 301 gold, 301 silver and 327 bronze medals (two bronzes are awarded for each weight class in judo and boxing, leading to the discrepancy). In other words, of the... (Indiana Sports -- Rivals.com)
Scoring laws floor Comaneci as pair duels for fame and fortune Aug 8, 2008
A new scoring system will make its Olympic debut in Beijing, where two photogenic Americans are vying to emulate the all-around deeds of such darlings as Mary Lou Retton and, of course, the great Comaneci. Several scoring controversies from Athens four years ago , including one that cost Korean Yang Tae-young the men's all-around gold, prompted the overhaul of a code of points that expired after the 2005 world championships in Melbourne. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Sport)
TODAY: U.S. women gymnasts ready for spotlight Aug 8, 2008
From gymnast Mary Lou Retton to boxer Muhammad Ali, catch 25 legendary athletes in action. Designers create looks for the Olympic Opening Ceremony as medalist Apolo Ono judges. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Seeking to emulate dad Aug 7, 2008
I look at her in complete awe as she does the most beautiful gymnastics I've seen, Olympic champion Mary Lou Retton said. Yet despite her obvious talent, Liukin has yet to get her hands on a global all-round title. (The Star Online, Malaysia -- Sports)
Companies have tall hopes for Yao Ming Aug 7, 2008
These 2008 U.S. Olympians may end up being endorsers in the mold of Bruce Jenner or Mary Lou Retton. The frenzy has ensued despite the fact that, back in February, it looked like Yao may not even play in Beijing. (MSNBC -- Business)
Sponsors walking away from the Olympics Aug 5, 2008
These 2008 U.S. Olympians may end up being endorsers in the mold of Bruce Jenner or Mary Lou Retton. LIVE QUOTE. (MSNBC -- Politics)
Weightlifter pushed through herniated disk, failed comebacks Aug 5, 2008
The former gymnast, first inspired by watching Mary Lou Retton at the 1984 Games, will compete as a featherweight (117 pounds) Sunday. Her size (she stands just over 5 feet tall), her age and her status as a mother of three all strip away stereotypes of Olympic weightlifters. (USA Today -- Sports)
Olympic-sized Story lines (Today) Aug 3, 2008
176 points to give the United States the gold for the first time since Mary Lou Retton in 1984. Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin both have high hopes of becoming America's next golden children in gymnastics. (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA -- Sports)
* Age-related doubts haunt Chinese gymnasts Jul 30, 2008
Mary Lou Retton, the all-around gymnastics champion at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, recently watched a competition video of He and other Chinese gymnasts on the uneven bars. The girls are so little, so young, Retton said. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Olympic smog measures cost Chinese industry Jul 30, 2008
These 2008 U.S. Olympians may end up being endorsers in the mold of Bruce Jenner or Mary Lou Retton. Ordered to shut down its blast furnaces to help clear the air for the 10,500 athletes and 500,000 tourists expected for the games, steel producer Beijing Shougang Group embarked on a massive effort to ensure its customers would not be affected. (MSNBC -- Business)
Eight Olympians who could turn gold into cash Jul 29, 2008
Ted Thai / Time & Life Pictures/Getty ImageCan any Olympian ever win over our hearts and corporate dollars like Mary Lou Retton ... These 2008 U.S. Olympians may end up being endorsers in the mold of Bruce Jenner or Mary Lou Retton ... Every so often, there are Olympians think Bruce Jenner and Mary Lou Retton who break out on the marketing scene afterward in legendary fashion. (MSNBC -- Business)
Stories To Follow At 2008 Beijing Games Jul 26, 2008
First there was Mary Lou Retton in 1984. Then there was Carly Patterson in 2004. (Click2Houston, TX)
U.S. women the team to beat in gymnastics Jul 24, 2008
Also in 2004, Carly Patterson became the second American to win an Olympic gold medal in all-around, repeating what Mary Lou Retton did 20 years earlier. Johnson -- a 16-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa -- and Liukin -- an 18-year-old from Parker, Texas -- will head the team, which also includes Chellsie Memmel, Samantha Peszek, Alicia Sacramone and Bridget Sloan. (Scripps Howard News Wire)
NBCOlympics.com: Day 2 of the gymnastics camp blog Jul 20, 2008
4:43pm: Mary Lou Retton is here, talking to reporters. 4:27pm: Just got the announcement that Paul Hamm is on the Olympic Team. (MSNBC -- Sports)
VAULTING IN: Sloan overcomes injury to make team Jul 20, 2008
To come "from so deep down, that's outstanding," said Bela Karolyi, who coached Olympic champions Nadia Comaneci of Romania and American Mary Lou Retton and now runs the training center on his ranch. Sloan had to prove to Martha Karolyi, Bela's wife and the women's national team coordinator, she could overcome mental anguish related to the injury. (USA Today -- Sports)
Should tennis really be part of the Olympic Games? Jul 18, 2008
Whenever the Olympics were on - winter, summer - when I was growing up, it was on our TV all day long. I remember sitting there watching Mary Lou Retton win the gold medal live. I was up way past my bedtime L.A. time because she did the vault so late. (Anchorage Daily News)
Torres, 41, seeks a return for the ages Jul 3, 2008
Think we'd ever see Mary Lou Retton come back to try again on the vault. (Retton is nearly a year younger than Torres, by the way. (USA Today -- Sports)
Rekindling a love for gymnastics Jun 24, 2008
Advertisements Kathryn Thier, The Charlotte Observer When she was 14, gymnast and Olympic hopeful Kristie Phillips- Bannister adorned the cover of Sports Illustrated, which proclaimed her the next Mary Lou Retton. In the years that followed, her Olympic dreams crumbled. (News & Observer -- Sports)
Beijing bound Jun 24, 2008
Johnson is the reigning world champion, a bundle of power and personality that has people comparing her to Mary Lou Retton. Liukin puts the art in artistic gymnastics, a lithe blend of beauty and grace who has won seven medals four of them gold at the world championships since 2005. (Creston News Adertiser, IO)
Johnson and Liukin named to U.S. women's team, more trials remain Jun 24, 2008
According to Karolyi's husband, Bela, - who coached Olympic champions like Mary Lou Retton and Nadia Comaneci - there is only one spot left to earn on the U.S. team. He said Johnson and Liukin would be joined by Samantha Peszek, Alicia Sacramone and Chellsie Memmel. (International Herald Tribune -- Sports)
Celizic: Gymnastics' 'Magnificent 7' were indeed special Jun 20, 2008
She collapsed, only to be scooped up by her coach, Bela Karolyi, the great bear of a man who coached Mary Lou Retton, the first American gymnastics queen. He carried her onto the medal stand with her teammates, a group that would be known forever as The Magnificent 7. (MSNBC -- Sports)
Old hat to Sacramone Jun 7, 2008
Nobody remembers what Mary Lou Retton did before she turned up at Olympus in 1984. That's why Sacramone took a year off from school after the fall semester, moved back home with her parents, and became a full-time gymnast for the first time in her life. (Boston Globe)
Vollmer, Coughlin Headline Janet Evans Invitational Jun 5, 2008
At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Coughlin became the third American woman to win five medals at one Olympics (the others are Mary Lou Retton and Shannon Miller). She took gold in the 100m backstroke and the 4x200m freestyle relay, breaking the world record in that event. (Calbears.com)
Move over Hillary, make room for Mollee. Or not. Jun 4, 2008
Though I won t be the next Jackie Joyner-Kersee or Mary Lou Retton, I can honor my inner athlete and train for and compete in an amatuer triathlon. And though I won t be unseating Bush, I can help campaign for candidates that stand for my values. (Winona Daily News, MN)
Tumblers all in place for gymnast Johnson Jun 1, 2008
Mary Lou Retton, Kim Zmeskal, Shannon Miller, and Carly Patterson can tell you about all that, about the teetering feeling that comes from competing in a sport in which medals are decided by a thousandth of a point and where your feet rarely are on the ground. Nothing is guaranteed for Johnson, not even making the team in the toughest Olympic year to do it since the Magnificent 7 won gold in 1996. (Boston Globe)
