Shannon Miller

Miller's accomplishments as a gymnast are even more amazing given the numerous injuries she has battled throughout her career. In 1992 when she was preparing for the Olympics, Miller dislocated her elbow. She underwent surgery and returned to competition within a month. She finished first in the all-around competition at the Olympic trials. At the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, Miller captured five medals. She won a bronze medal for the team competition, uneven bars, and floor exercise, and a silver medal for the balance beam and the uneven bars. During much of her early competitions Miller was in the shadow of America's best gymnast, Kim Zmeskal. The 1992 Olympics, however, were a turning point for Miller. She finished second in the all-around competition, while Zmeskal only finished tenth because of a fall on the uneven bars. It was finally Shannon's time for the spotlight. Miller had the best finish for an American woman gymnast in a non-boycotted Olympics. Although American Mary Lou Retton won gold for the all-around in 1984, the Soviets did not participate in those games and they were usually the toughest competition.

Miller continued to dominate women's gymnastics after the Olympics. In 1993 she won the United States championships for the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise. She also won gold medals for the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise and the World Gymnastics Championships. She became only the second American to become a World Champion. In 1994 Miller repeated her gold medal for the all-around and also won a gold for the balance beam at the World Championships. She became the only American to win consecutive World Championships.

In 1995 Miller was eighteen years old and she was already the most decorated American gymnast. She faced a difficult decision of whether to retire from gymnastics or continue training for the next Olympics. She had graduated from Edmond North High School in 1994 and she was attending college at the University of Oklahoma. She not only had trouble finding the motivation to train, but she also had to adjust to her more mature body. She also had more injuries to overcome, particularly an ankle injury that hampered her performance at the World Championships.