Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton Addresses Health Battle
For Mary Lou Retton, the 1984 Olympics yielded a sisterhood that has lasted 40 years.
So the gold medalist could not help but be moved to tears when she was surprised with a special videotaped message from all five of her former teammates—Michelle Dusserre, 55, Pam Bileck, 55, Tracee Talavera, 57, Julianne McNamara, 58, and Kathy Johnson, 64—on the Kelly Clarkson Show July 25.
Dusserre said she was glad Retton, who was hospitalized last fall with a rare form of pneumonia, was feeling better, adding, "Keep getting better."
Johnson, meanwhile, told Retton, "We have your back. Always have, always will. You got this."
As for how Retton, 56, reacted to the moment? Emotional, the retired gymnast called the video "so special."
Of course, this isn’t the first time she’s heard from her fellow Los Angeles Olympics athletes, as Retton revealed the “84 Squad” has a group text.
"Of course, that was 40 years ago, and we're still best friends, still sisters," she expressed to Kelly Clarkson. "We've helped each other go through life, you know, the good and the bad, seeing each other through that and always supporting one another."
photos2024 Olympics: International Athletes Competing in Paris
At age 16, the West Virginia native became the first American woman to win the individual all-around Olympic gold medal. At the 1984 Olympics, held in Los Angeles and boycotted by most members of the Soviet Union amid the Cold War, she also took home two silver and two bronze medals.
And while reflecting on the games, during which she and her teammates won silver in the team all-round competition, she noted how it felt to set a new precedent for the next generations of U.S. gymnasts.
Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
"I look back and my inspirations were Russian, Romania, East Germans," she told Clarkson. "But we changed it."
Photo by Robin Marchant/Getty Images for Buca, Inc.
And this newest generation of U.S. gymnasts includes Simone Biles, returning for her third Olympics, as well as Jade Carey, Sunisa Lee and Jordan Chiles, who will each mark their second Olympic Games in Paris. Rounding out the team is 16-year-old Hezly Rivera.
For more about the 2024 Paris Olympic gymnastics team representing USA, keep reading.
Watch the 2024 Paris Olympics daily on NBC and Peacock until the summer games end with the Closing Ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.