Gold Medalist

Background:

American gymnast hailed from Tucson, Arizona Kerri Strug rose to worldwide prominence with her heroic vaulting efforts at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, in which she competed with an wounded ankle and helped her team win the first ever American team gold. She also nabbed a 1996 Olympic Spirit Award. Among her teammates in the memorable event were Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Dominique Moceanu, Amanda Borden, Jaycie Phelps, and Amy Chow. Strug was a member of the U.S. Senior Gymnastics Team from 1991 to 1997. She is of Russian/Jewish origin, and has been an inductee at the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

After her amateur career, she worked for a time as a team manager and then as an elementary school in San Francisco before moving to Washington, D.C. in 2003. There, she took several jobs, including as a staff assistant and a presidential appointee.

In her leisure time, the diminutive 4' 8½”, 88-pound Strug likes running marathon, supporting charity organizations, giving motivational speeches as well as comforting on young gymnasts when they go after their own dreams. She is close family friends with actress Julie Davenport.

Kappa Alpha Theta

Childhood and Family:

Kerri Allyson Strug was born on November 19, 1977, in Tucson, Arizona, to Melanie and Burt Strug. Her father is a heart surgeon. She has an older brother, Kevin, and an older sister, Lisa. After her retirement as an amateur, Kerri attended UCLA, where she became a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, but later transferred to Stanford University, from which she received an undergraduate and a graduate degree.

In and Outside Gym

Career:

Kerri Strug discovered a love for gymnastics when she was very young. At age 4, she used to do flips and somersaults, following in her older siblings' footsteps. She steadily climbed up into the gymnastic ladder, and in order to achieve her dream, the 13-year-old girl made a difficult decision of leaving her home town and loving family. She moved to Houston, Texas to train with the world renowned coach Bela Karolyi.

Strug's tremendous sacrifice paid off in the following year when she joined the United States National Team, a coveted post she would hold until 1997. Specializing in Floor Exercises and Uneven Bars, Strug, who picked up her first national title in1989 at the American Classic in Oakland, California, was number one in the Vault and third in All-Round at the 1991 U.S. Championships. She made her debut at the Olympic games in 1992 that was held in Barcelona. There, she won the bronze medal along with team mates Shannon Miller, Dominique Dawes, Kim Zmeskal, Betty Okino, Wendy Bruce, and Michelle Campi. At the time, she became the youngest member of the entire U.S. Team.

After the 1992 games, Strug was left to decide whether to continue or quit gymnastic following the retirement of Karolyi from coaching. During the uncertain period, she switched gyms many times. Finally, Strug moved to Dynamo to learn under the guidance of Steve Nunno. In the 1993 Nationals, Strug was ranked No. 3 in the all-around, No. 2 on the uneven bars, and No. 3 on floor exercise. Although she made a reputation as a popular vault, Strug did not medal in that event. After this competition, she departed Dynamo to train at Forster Gymnastics in Colorado.

An accident happened in 1994 at the U.S. Classic in Palm Springs, CA, a year was supposed to be her comeback. Strug was rushed to a hospital after the incident and had to undergo extensive rehabilitation for a badly pulled back muscle. Surprisingly, she recovered in time for the 1994 World Championships, where she was standout on the floor exercise. At the 1995 Nationals, Strug was number fifth in the AA and third on the UB. She placed 7th in the AA and became a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at that year World Championships.

1996 marked Strug's banner year. Again coached by Karolyi after he came out of retirement, she enjoyed a memorable moment when she became the winner of the 1996 American Cup. In the competition, she dominated in the AA, and placed first on FX and BB and second on V and UB in the event finals as well. At the 1996 U.S. Nationals, Strug ranked fifth in the AA and second on both vault and floor. With the impressive accomplishment, she had eventually stepped out from the eclipse of such world-popular gymnasts as Kim Zmeskal, Shannon Miller and Dominique Moceanu.

Her biggest breakthrough arrived during the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta when she became the last U.S performer in the vault even finals. She shocked audiences by falling and injuring her ankle on her first vault, but managed to stick the landing on her second vault before collapsing in pain. Her hard effort paid off when the U.S. Team brought home the first-ever gymnastics gold medal. Subsequently, she became headlines in numerous newspaper and was put into stardom.

Strug next took part in the Ice Capades and Disney's World On Ice before eventually retiring as an amateur gymnast. She went on to pursue a college career by attending UCLA. As a professional, Strug was unable to participate in NCAA gymnastics events. Therefore, she served as team manager for a while.

After graduating from Stanford University, Strug moved to San Francisco to work as an elementary school teacher. In 2003, she relocated to Washington, DC, where she first worked as a staff assistant with the U.S. Office of Presidential Student Correspondence. She moved to job at the Office of the General Counsel in the Treasury Department in August 2004 and joined the Justice department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention staff as a presidential appointee seven months later in March 2005.

Awards:

• Olympic Spirit: 1996

• Olympic Gold Medal: 1996

• World Championship Bronze Medal: 1995

• Olympic Bronze Medal: 1992