NAMES IN THE NEWS : Retton Savors Post-Olympic Era

At 22, with Olympic gold behind her, gymnastics has finally become fun for Mary Lou Retton.

“Now I perform, I don’t compete and that makes a real difference,” Retton said.

Retton was the sensation of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Her gold medal, in the all-around competition, was the first ever for an American woman gymnast.

“When we were practicing for the Olympics, we spent eight hours a day in the gym,” she said Monday. “The time in between practice, we were too tired to do anything else.”

“If you want to be successful you give up your social life. You give up everything except gymnastics,” she said.

Now, Retton performs six to eight times a year, travels as a motivational speaker and does charity work. She also is engaged to be married in December.