Before They Were Stars
Snakkle Celebrates London 2012 by Looking Back at Some of Our Favorite Summer Olympians Before They Were Famous
Cue John Williams’s "Olympic Fanfare"—who's excited for the 2012 London Olympics this summer? From Bruce Jenner’s 1976 decathlon win to gymnast Mary Lou Retton’s 1984 perfect-10 vault to swimmer Dara Torres’s 2008 triumph at 41, we are celebrating the upcoming Games with some superstars of past summers. Check out these nine Olympians and where they are today. By Katherine Butler
Seth Poppel/Yearbook Library, Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
Mary Lou Retton—Today
The unquestionable darling of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics was Mary Lou Retton, a pert 16-year-old gymnast from West Virginia. Retton charmed audiences and judges alike by scoring perfect 10s on her floor routine and vault, winning the all-around title for the Games. Here is Retton in her brightest Olympic moment. This earned the Bela Karolyi-coached gymnast an appearance on the Wheaties cereal box and Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year. After her success in the 1984 Games, Retton went on to several lucrative endorsements, including becoming the first official spokesperson for Wheaties. Today she frequently works as a commentator for various gymnastics events.
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