Retton was 16 when she became the first American female gymnast to win the all-around title at the 1984 Olympics.
WASHINGTON — Former Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton was recently taken into custody in West Virginia on a DUI charge, based on court documents.
The documents reveal that Retton, 57, was arrested on May 17, facing one charge of driving under the influence of alcohol or other controlled substances. Records from the magistrate court classify the charge as a misdemeanor.
Her arrest records show the Olympic champion was released on bail after posting a $1,500 bond.
Retton is a celebrated figure among Olympic enthusiasts. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, she claimed a gold medal in the individual all-around event and secured two silver and two bronze medals for Team USA during that competition.
The gold medal notched Retton’s place in history as the first American woman to win the all-around competition in the history of the Games. She was the only American to have done so until 2004, when Team USA began taking gold in the all-around every four years.
Retton retired from gymnastics in 1986. She also became the first woman to be featured on the front of a Wheaties cereal box.
In the decades since, she has appeared in a number of television roles and in endorsements for products. Retton was one of the competitors on the 2018 season of “Dancing with the Stars.”
In 2023, she made headlines again, revealing that she was battling a rare form of pneumonia in which doctors weren’t sure whether she would survive. Retton’s daughter began a fundraiser that raised nearly $500,000 for her medical bills.
“This is serious and this is life,” Retton said during a January 2024 interview on NBC’s “Today” show. “And I am so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here. Because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support.”
