She is, to say the least, rather lucky. I honestly don't see her medaling with the Russians there because they were SOOOO dominant at the particular time and the olympics were also held in the U.S. However, her power, fearless attitude, and spark always lid up any arena she stepped into.

Over-rated. Had the Russians competed in the '84 Olympics, she would have been lucky to win the bronze in the all-around.

The first American gymnast to receive a perfect 10.

Good for the USA! Had and still has good personal communication. Good, superior gymnast.

This woman has set a precedent in her sport in my mind. Her sportsmanship was evident, especially if she didn't do something well.

I think that Mary Lou Retton helped USA gymnastics to grow. She was very influential because her story was one of success. There was nothing sad portrayed about her. People didn't have a reason to pity her so they enjoyed watching her. She smiled and was outgoing and polite. She did great gymnastics and won the Olympics. This was a welcome change from the nonchalant attitude that had become so prevalent with Romanian gymnasts; they don't seem to enjoy what they do. When Mary Lou came along a lot of people found her to be so refreshing.

Everybody's sweetheart. She showed us what the Olympics should be about; hard work and a true appreciation of the sport. Many today look to the money they can make, not the joy.

Best gymnast in a watered down Olympics.

Over-rated... she won gold, but if the Eastern block had shown up it would have been a different story.