Olympics Story Archives - West Virginia Public Broadcasting

Mary Lou Retton Says She’s ‘Overwhelmed’ With Love And Support As She Recovers From Rare Pneumonia

American gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton says she is “overwhelmed with all the love and support” she has received and is slowly recovering with family after being hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia earlier this month.

Retton, 55, posted a statement Monday on Instagram in her first public comment since being in intensive care in a Texas hospital. Her daughter, McKenna Kelley, said then that the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title in 1984 was “fighting for her life” and unable to breathe on her own.

Retton said she was “beyond blessed for the opportunity to make this statement” and is staying positive through what she knows is a long and slow recovery process. She requested privacy and added that she will share more information about her health when the time is right and hopefully help others facing the same battle.

Retton ended the post saying, “I love you all. – MLR.”

Kelley started a fundraising campaign on Retton’s behalf to cover medical expenses because she does not have health insurance. The campaign has generated more than 8,300 donations totaling nearly $460,000.

Retton was 16 when she became an icon of the U.S. Olympic movement during her gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Retton, who grew up in Fairmont, West Virginia, also won two silver and two bronze medals at those Olympics to help bring gymnastics — a sport long dominated by eastern European powers like Romania and the Soviet Union — into the mainstream in the U.S.

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AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Mary Lou Retton In ‘recovery mode’ After Hospital Stay For Pneumonia

American gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton has returned home following a lengthy hospital stay because of pneumonia, her daughter said Monday.

Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, the oldest of Retton’s four daughters, posted an update on Retton’s condition on Instagram nearly two weeks after the family disclosed that the former Olympic all-around champion was in intensive care.

The 55-year-old Retton is now in “recovery mode,” according to Schrepfer.

“We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us,” Schrepfer wrote. “But baby steps.”

The family disclosed earlier this month that Retton — who became the first American female gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title at the 1984 Los Angeles Games — was “fighting for her life” and unable to breathe on her own.

Donations have poured into a fundraiser the family set up to help offset Retton’s medical expenses after the family said she didn’t have medical insurance. There’s been more than 8,300 donations totaling nearly $460,000 by Monday afternoon.

Retton was 16 when she became an icon of the U.S. Olympic movement during her gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Summer Games. The native of Fairmont, West Virginia, also won two silver and two bronze medals at those Olympics to help bring gymnastics — a sport long dominated by eastern European powers like Romania and the Soviet Union — into the mainstream in the U.S.

Olympic Champion Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Remains In Intensive Care As Donations Pour In

Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton remained in intensive care on Wednesday while dealing with a rare form of pneumonia.

Retton’s daughters posted a message on Instagram saying their mother “continues to fight” and thanked the thousands who have donated money to help take care of Retton’s medical bills.

Shayla Kelley Schrepfer, the oldest of Retton’s four daughters, said in a video update on Instagram that the family was “overwhelmed” by the outpouring of support for Retton, 55.

“We didn’t even realize that there are so many people out there that love her just as much as we do,” Schrepfer said. “And it’s been a really hard time for our family. And so just seeing that people love her like that and showing her that support has just meant the world to us and to her, so thank you.”

Nearly 5,000 people had donated over $275,000 in the 24 hours since her family launched an online fundraiser on Tuesday. The family said Retton does not have medical insurance and indicated they were asking for donations — with an initial goal of $50,000 — to help pay for Retton’s care.

Schrepfer declined to get into specifics about Retton’s situation, saying only that it’s “going to be a day-to-day process.”

Retton was 16 years old when the Fairmont, West Virginia, native made history at the Los Angeles Olympics, scoring perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault in the final two rotations to become the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title.

She ended the Olympics with five medals — two silvers and two bronzes to go with the all-around gold — and became a pop culture sensation while earning the nickname “America’s Sweetheart.” Her Olympic success made her the first female athlete to appear on the cover of a Wheaties box.

Retton retired from competition in 1986. Her newfound fame made her a household name in the U.S. She made several film and television appearances, including a stint on “Dancing with the Stars.”

She and her husband, Shannon Kelley, divorced in 2018.

Olympic Gymnastics Champion Mary Lou Retton Is In Intensive Care With Pneumonia

Retton’s daughter, McKenna Kelley, shared Retton’s condition in an Instagram post on Tuesday. Kelley said the 55-year-old Retton, who became the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around title, is “fighting for her life” and not able to breathe on her own.

Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton has pneumonia and is in intensive care in a Texas hospital.

Kelley started a fundraising campaign on Retton’s behalf for medical expenses. Kelley wrote that Retton does not currently have medical insurance.

Retton was 16 years old when she became an icon of the U.S. Olympic movement during her gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles. Retton, who grew up in Fairmont, West Virginia, also won two silver and two bronze medals at those Olympics to help bring gymnastics — a sport long dominated by eastern European powers like Romania and the Soviet Union — into the mainstream in the U.S.

Retton, a mother of four, currently lives in Texas. She retired from competitive gymnastics in 1986 and did numerous commercial endorsements. She also made several film and television appearances, including a stint on “Dancing with the Stars.”

She and her husband, Shannon Kelley, divorced in 2018.

Staffing Infrastructure Jobs And Olympic Dreams On This West Virginia Morning

On this West Virginia Morning, our radio series “Help Wanted: Understanding West Virginia’s Labor Force” continues as Curtis Tate takes a look at federal and state perspectives on the problem of finding enough workers with the skills for new infrastructure jobs.

Also, an international volleyball tournament is taking place at the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center this week and West Virginia University faculty vote against the university’s proposed cuts to programs.

West Virginia Morning is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting, which is solely responsible for its content.

Support for our news bureaus comes from Concord University and Shepherd University.

Listen to West Virginia Morning weekdays at 7:43 a.m. on WVPB Radio or subscribe to the podcast and never miss an episode. #WVMorning

National Diving Competition Brings A New Sport, Development To The State

Dozens of athletes from across the country converged on West Virginia last week for one of the biggest diving events in the country.

From Dec. 14 to Dec. 18, the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown was host to USA Diving’s Winter National Championship.

“It’s our top event of the year,” said Jen Lowery, communications director for USA Diving. “We’ve got about 150 of the nation’s top divers here competing for national titles. It’s a chance for them to all compete, see where they stand, earn national titles. And so it’s a fun week for them to all see each other.”

USA Diving is the country’s governing body for the sport, and selects and trains teams to represent the United States in major diving events including the Olympic Games. Lowery said one of the benefits of large events like the Winter Championship is not only to bring athletes together, but also to help prepare the next generation to represent the country.

“We certainly are always looking toward the future. We’ve got the Paris Olympics coming up in about a year and a half, but we also have LA 2028 in six years,” Lowery said. “We want to make sure that these younger divers, who are going to be representing the United States in Los Angeles in six years, get the experience they need so that they’re ready when it’s their turn.”

Samantha Pickens is one of the divers who competed last week. She traveled from Midland, Texas to compete in Morgantown, and on Wednesday, won a bronze in the women’s three meter synchronized dive.

“I just partnered up with a new new partner, and we tried for the first time about two days ago, never had done synchro before,” Pickens said. “So two practices together, and we made a podium third place finish. It was pretty awesome.”

While wins are always nice, after 15 years in the sport, Pickens said it’s the community that keeps her coming back, and the chance to pay it forward to the next generation.

“I think a lot of it is the community, the people, you meet so many great people. In USA Diving I’ve met just so many great people,” she said. “And now I’m coaching as well, so kind of giving back to what USA Diving has given me to give back to the younger generation. I love it. I don’t want to leave the sport ever.”

Pickens grew up in Myersville, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. Competing in Morgantown is something of a homecoming, and she said she’s excited to see such a modern facility in the region.

“This facility is fantastic here. I’ve never been here, this is my first time,” Pickens said. “To be so close to home and have such an amazing facility here so close to my hometown, and my family and everything like that, it’s been really awesome.”

Jennifer Lainhart is the director of Aquatics and Track Center Complex at Mylan Park. The Aquatic Center opened in 2019, but Mylan Park as a whole has been slowly growing and developing for more than 20 years, and hosting a national championship is something of a culmination.

“I think if you are aware of what was here prior to this, this is reclaimed surface mine land that Mylan Park, in conjunction with the local schools and some of the local government, really look to build and rebuild on and make it a space where a community could come together because it was a big open dirt space,” Lainhart said.

The Aquatic Center at Mylan Park has previously hosted other USA Diving and NCAA Diving events.

In September, Gov. Jim Justice announced that West Virginia submitted a bid to host the 2024 Olympic Diving Trials at Mylan Aquatic Center. The bid for the Olympic trials is set to be announced in the coming weeks, and the Mylan Aquatic Center could soon be hosting more world-class athletes. Regardless of the bid’s outcomes, Lainhart thinks the future is bright for the facility.

“We do think, whether or not we get it this year, that there’s an opportunity for a future year’s bid, even if it’s not this coming year, and then USA Diving has a number of events,” she said.

Mylan Park continues to expand. There are plans to build another world-class sports facility, this time for BMX racing, as well as a Kampgrounds of America location.

Opportunities abound, not just for the facility but for the community that it serves. Like Pickens, Lainhart sees the facility’s biggest value in its impact on the community.

“It’s a great event, it brings people to the area, introduces them to ‘Mountaineer Country’ and everything that we have to offer,” she said. “But it also introduces our kids to the sport of diving and allows them to see it and maybe think ‘Well, maybe I would like to try that someday.’ The hope is that we will build a community of diving around this. ‘If you build it, they will come,’ and so you have this world class facility where kids can start to gain interest in the sport.”