
US Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI
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Diverging Reports Breakdown
US Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton arrested for DUI
Mary Lou Retton was arrested May 17 in West Virginia. She was charged with one count of “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs” Retton won four medals at the 1984 Olympics, including two silver medals and two bronze medals. In 2004, Retton served on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition during George W. Bush’s administration. She also became the first woman to be featured on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box.
Retton, 57, was arrested May 17 in Marion County, West Virginia, per the record. She was charged with one count of “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs.” Retton was released the same day after posting her $1,500 bond.
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Retton rose to prominence during the 1984 Olympics, where she became the first American woman to win the gold medal in the gymnastics all-around event. She scored two perfect 10s — in the floor exercise and vault — to narrowly defeat Romanian Ecaterina Szabo to win the gold.
She won four additional medals at the 1984 Olympics, including two silver medals and two bronze medals. She was named Sports Illustrated’s Sportswoman on the Year for her performance at the 1984 Olympics. She also became the first woman to be featured on the cover of a Wheaties cereal box.
Retton retired in 1986. She was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1997 and became the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.
In 2004, Retton served on the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness and Nutrition during George W. Bush’s administration.
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Retton dealt with a “rare form of pneumonia” in 2023 that caused her to be hospitalized in the ICU for more than a week. She was released after a few weeks in the hospital. Retton appeared on the “Today” show in 2024 to talk about the experience.
Retton was uninsured at the time of her hospitalization. Fans raised nearly half a million via crowdfunding to help Retton pay for her bills. Retton and her family have faced criticism for not being transparent about how that money was used.