Where is Kerri Strug now? A look at life and career of Olympics gymnastics star since 1996 Summer Games
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She etched her name in Olympic lore with an injured ankle and a vault.
Kerri Strug under-rotated on her first attempt, injuring her ankle and leaving a score of 9.2 on the board, which, at the time, wasn't clear it would be enough to win gold. But she was the last U.S. gymnast who could turn the tides with a second attempt.
She prepared herself to repeat the same vault, sprinted, twisted and flipped through the air and stuck the landing , immediately pulling up her injured leg. Her score of 9.712 left no doubt the U.S. had won gold.
That moment, permanently enshrined in the minds of U.S. viewers, would go down as the U.S. women's artistic gymnastics team's first gold medal as a team.
So what has Strug been up to since that moment in Atlanta?
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At which Olympics did Strug last compete?
Shortly after the 1996 Olympics, Strug retired and enrolled at UCLA. As a professional, she could not compete for the school's gymnastics team so she worked as a team manager.
How many Olympic medals did Strug win?
Before winning gold in Atlanta, Strug and her team brought home bronze after the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.
How Strug became a gymnast
Strug began gymnastics at age 8, when she followed in the footsteps of her older sister and brother. When she was 15, she was the youngest American on the Olympic squad in 1992.
What are Strug's other accolades?
Besides her Olympic success, Strug medaled three times in the world championships. She earned silver in the 1991 Indianapolis and 1994 Dortmund championships and bronze in 1995.
What is Strug up to now?
Following her retirement, Strug earned a master's degree in sociology from Stanford after transferring from UCLA.
She later went on to serve as a spokesperson for the Special Olympics and the Children’s Miracle Network.
She's now involved in the community through work with parents, kids and coaches throughout the country at various gymnastic camps and clubs. During the 2004 Olympics, she served as a correspondent for Yahoo.
Strug has authored two books and lives in Washington, D.C. with her family.
Catch up with other Olympic legends:
Where to follow Strug:
Instagram: @kerristrug96
Twitter: @kerristrug96
Contact Christian Ortega at cortega@usatoday.com and on Twitter @unofficialchris.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Kerri Strug: What is Olympics star doing since winning gold in 1996?
