As we all know the 1984 Olympic Games were boycotted by the Soviet Union which meant the major powerhouse in the sport was absent from the competition meaning a new country was to be crowned team and all-around champion.
In the absence of the Soviet Union, Romania was the one expected to take gold and they did. However it was not all happy moments for the Romanian Team, Lavinia Agache had falls on beam and Floor that prevented her from advancing to the all-around final. As for Ecaterina Szabo a fall from the uneven bars in the team optionals deprived her of all-around gold, yes all-around, at the time scores from the team competition were carried over to the all-around.
So, while gold did not come to her in the all-around it did at the event finals where she won three Olympic titles: vault, beam and Floor. And on beam she wasn’t alone she tied with teammate Simona Pauca, who had a very short career in the sport with the Olympics being the highlight of it.
The all-around crown went to home-gymnast Mary Lou Retton who became an instant celebrity and is highly remembered for her Floor routine choreographed to the Romanian song “Sanie Cu Zurgalai” that had been previously used by Romanians Teodora Ungureanu and Emilia Eberle. Like Simona Pauca, Mary Lou also had a very short career with the Olympics and three American Cup Titles (1983, 1984 & 1985) as the highlights.
Mary Lou’s gold medal was not the only American triumph, Julianne McNamara tied for gold on the uneven bars with China’s Ma Yanhong. Both gymnasts scored a 9.900 in the compulsory round and “Perfect 10s” in the team optionals and event final routines. Take a look at their routines.
And talking about China they were the third place finishers in the team competition. Among their team members was Wu Jiani who in 1986 married Li Yuejiu who was competing in China’s men team. Among the couple’s children is Anna Li, who was an alternate for the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team.
Wu Jiani was not the only gymnast to marry a fellow team member. Switzerland’s Romi Kessler who finished 5th on bars and floor and 6th on beam married Marco Piatti who placed 5th with the Swiss team at the Olympics in Los Angeles. The couple had three children but is currently divorced.
And more about the grown up children of the 1984 gym-stars, one of the four daughters of Mary Lou Retton followed into her footsteps, McKenna Kelley currently competes for LSU and in 2014 tied for gold with Mackenzie Brannan at the Nastia Liukin Cup.
Update: Julianne McNamara’s daughter Hannah Zeile followed a completely different path by going into acting. In January of 2018, she won a Screen Actors Guild Award for her participation in the T.V. Series “This Is Us”
And to finish did you know that while the Olympic Games were taking place, two future Sydney Olympians were born? Trudy McIntosh (Australia) and Esther Moya (Spain) were born one day apart in July 30th and July 31st respectively. On July 30th the compulsories were contested whlle on July 31st the men’s optional routines took place.
Los Angeles will again host the Olympics in 2028.
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