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By Sophie Clark
Live News Reporter
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Olympic gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton was arrested for driving under the influence in West Virginia earlier this month. Retton, who is known for scoring a perfect 10 at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984, was pulled over in Marion County on May 17.
Newsweek reached out to Retton's lawyer via his website for comment.
The Context
Court records show that the former gymnastics star was arrested for one count of "Driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs; penalties." She was released from custody after agreeing to pay her Personal Recognizance Bond of $1,500.
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Retton became a sports legend following her performance in the 1984 Olympics, where she scored a perfect 10 on the vault. She also won five medals, including gold in the all-around competition, becoming the first American woman to achieve this feat.
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What To Know
Court records from the Magistrate Court of Marion County show Retton was given a misdemeanor complaint for the DUI.
Following her record-breaking performance at the 1984 Olympics, Retton was put on Wheaties boxes. In 1997, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, and in 2020, she became the first woman to be inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.
George W. Bush appointed Retton to the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports during his presidency.
Retton's arrest comes two years after she told the public her lungs were permanently damaged from a rare form of pneumonia, which left her hospitalized.
She told Entertainment Tonight in 2023 that her battle with pneumonia, the lasting scarring it left on her lungs, and the effect it had on her mental health "really changed me."
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When opening up about the impact of her pneumonia, her daughter, McKenna Kelley, set up a fundraiser to cover her mother's medical bills as she revealed she did not have health insurance.
"My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own," Kelley wrote on the fundraiser page. The fundraiser raised $459,354, vastly exceeding its initial $50,000 goal.
Retton kept her fans posted on her recovery via social media but has yet to post publicly about her arrest.
What People Are Saying
Mary Lou Retton told Entertainment Tonight in 2023 of her health struggles: "I'm not a really depressed person, but this experience really changed me [mentally], and I've been struggling with that."
What Happens Next
There is no court date currently set for Retton.
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