Kerri Strug Biography - A Lifelong Passion, Triumph And Heartbreak, Chronology, The Historic Vault, Awards And Accomplishments - CONTACT INFORMATION, SELECTED WRITINGS BY STRUG:
moment final world women
1977-
American gymnast
Most notable sports figures cannot—and would not want to—claim that their fame is derived from a single moment. This, however, is the case with Kerri Strug. Before the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, Strug had earned a reputation as a solid performer in the gymnastics world. The shy, reserved Strug, however, was never a household name like some of her other, flashier teammates, such as Shannon Miller and Dominique Dawes. In one moment on July 23, 1996, this all changed when Strug vaulted into the world's consciousness—literally. As the final performer during the final event of the women's team competition, Strug completed her second and final vault, in obvious pain on a sprained ankle, to secure the first ever Olympic gold medal for the United States women's gymnastics team. This courageous and heroic moment was captured in countless media images and broadcast around the world, and secured her own place in Olympic and sports history.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Address: Kerri Strug Fan Club, 2801 N. Camino Principal, Tucson, AZ 85715.
SELECTED WRITINGS BY STRUG:
(With Greg Brown) Heart of Gold, Taylor, 1996.
(With John P. Lopez) Landing on My Feet: A Diary of Dreams, Andrews McMeel, 1997.
Girls Know Best, MJF Books, 1999.
Additional Topics
Kerri Allyson Strug was born on November 19, 1977, in Tucson, Arizona. Unlike many other gymnasts, who are pushed into the sport by their parents from an early age, Strug chose the hard life of a gymnast herself. When she was only a few years old, Strug asked her parents to enroll her in tumbling classes. Strug had attended the meets of her older sister, Lisa, and older brother, Kevin, and decided…
From the moment Strug began training with Karolyi, all aspects of her life were monitored by the notoriously demanding coach and his wife, Martha. Karolyi pushed Strug to her physical and mental limits to prepare her for international competition. Strug worked hard, and her efforts paid off. In 1991, she won first place in the vault at the U.S. Gymnastics Championships, becoming the youngest femal…
Although Strug's teammates did well in the beginning of the competition, Moceanu fell on both of her vault attempts. Gymnasts are generally taught to focus on their performances, not their scores, so by the time Strug prepared to vault, the American team had not been averaging their posted scores and so did not know how close they were to the Russians. By Karolyi's calculations, Stru…
Kleinbaum, Nancy H. Magnificent Seven: The Authorized Story of American Gold. New York: Bantam Doubleday Dell, 1996. Layden, Joe. Women In Sports: The Complete Book on the World's Greatest Female Athletes. Los Angeles: General Publishing Group, 1997. Newsmakers 1997 (Issue 4) Detroit: Gale Group, 1997. Woolum, Janet. Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in…
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