Once-revered and former Olympic gymnast icon Mary Lou Retton has been arrested for driving under the influence in her home state.
See the tweet below.
The 57-year-old American hero who captivated the nation during the 1984 Olympics faces misdemeanor charges after a mid-May incident.
This latest development comes after Retton’s near-death experience with a rare form of pneumonia in 2023, when Americans rallied to support the uninsured athlete with half a million dollars in crowdfunded donations.
Court records showed Retton was charged with one misdemeanor count of “driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs” in Marion County, West Virginia. She was released on a $1,500 bond shortly after her arrest.
The four-decade American sports icon has not publicly commented on the incident, and her spokesperson did not respond to media requests for comment.
Retton made history in 1984 as the first American woman to win gold in gymnastics all-around at the Olympics.
Her achievement came at a time when American excellence was on full display during the Los Angeles games, which the Soviet Union and its allies boycotted.
She collected five gold, silver, and bronze medals, cementing her place in American sports history.
US Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI in West Virginia https://t.co/YZnPEpIP6J pic.twitter.com/vOa9U0q8X9
— New York Post (@nypost) May 27, 2025
The gymnast’s achievements continued well beyond her competitive career. Retton served on President George W. Bush’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition in 2004, advocating for healthier Americans.
She was also the first female athlete featured on the Wheaties cereal box, a true mark of American sports excellence, and was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman of the Year in 1984.
The DUI arrest comes less than two years after Retton battled a life-threatening case of pneumonia that left her hospitalized and unable to breathe independently.
Her daughter described her as “fighting for her life” during the ordeal.
Despite being a national hero who brought glory to America on the world stage, Retton was uninsured during this medical crisis.
Americans responded with overwhelming generosity, raising nearly $500,000 through crowdfunding to cover Retton’s medical expenses.
However, questions about the management of these funds arose when her family provided limited transparency about how the money was spent, promising only that excess funds would go to charity without offering specific details.
Additionally, Retton’s daughter revealed that her mother struggled to obtain affordable health insurance due to pre-existing conditions from numerous surgeries.
Even an Olympic champion who represented the country at the highest level was left vulnerable by a system that prioritizes profits over people.
Since retiring from competitive gymnastics in 1986, Retton has worked as a motivational speaker and brand ambassador.
She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997.
She also became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020, continuing to break barriers for American women in sports long after her competitive career ended.
