WATCH: Mary Lou Retton, the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics, discusses her lasting impact on the sport, how much more physically demanding it is to compete today and the surprises she anticipates when the 2016 U.S. Olympic team is named in San Jose this July. Read more: http://www.mercurynews.com/sports/ci_29705328/catching-up-mary-lou-retton-olympic-darling-1984 | The Mercury News

🏅On August 3, 1984 Mary Lou Retton scored a perfect 10 on the final vault to win the individual all-round competition at the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and become the first American woman to win an Olympic gymnastics medal. She also became the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold. Trailing Ecaterina Szabo (after uneven bars and balance beam) by 0.15 with 2 events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault, the last event in

22K reactions · 1.5K shares | After the floor routine, Mary Lou Retton scored another perfect 10 at #LA1984. #Olympics #Vault #IndividualAllAround 4️⃣ 0️⃣ years ago today, she became the first American woman to win a gold medal in gymnastics. 磊 Mary Lou Retton | Team USA | International Gymnastics Federation - FIG | Olympics | Facebook

39K views · 383 reactions | Mary Lou Retton discusses her recovery from a near-death illness, seven months later and tears up as she explains her battle. | Entertainment Tonight | Facebook

16K views · 168 reactions | Olympian Mary Lou Retton has returned home and is on the road to recovery after being hospitalized with a rare form of pneumonia, her family stated. | CBS Evening News | Facebook