Which U.S. gymnast was the first American woman to win Olympic all-around gold?

Which U.S. gymnast was the first American woman to win Olympic all-around gold? Mary Lou Retton was the first American woman to win the Olympic individual all-around title.

Retton achieved the breakthrough at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She entered the final in a close contest with Romania’s Ecaterina Szabó and trailed with two events remaining. Perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault—despite recent knee surgery—gave Retton a winning total by just 0.05 points.

The victory was especially notable because Eastern European gymnasts had dominated the event. Retton became not only the first American woman to win Olympic all-around gold, but also the first champion from outside Eastern Europe. Her five medals in Los Angeles made her a national celebrity, and she later became the first official spokeswoman featured on a Wheaties box.

A common mix-up is confusing Retton’s achievement with later U.S. victories. Carly Patterson, Nastia Liukin, Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee followed her as American Olympic all-around champions, but Retton opened that sequence in 1984.