Kerri Strug

Kerri Strug was raised in Tucson, Arizona, where she and her two older siblings were active in sports. At age 12, Kerri faced the decision of staying in Tucson or leaving to be coached by Bela Karolyi to advance her skills. She ended up moving to Karolyi’s gym in Houston in January of 1991 at the age of 13. At Karolyi’s gym, she trained six to seven days a week for eight hours a day to perfect her craft. During her training, she lived with several host families far from home, taking her outside of her comfort zone. When Kerri had a day off, she would visit her aunt and uncle who lived in Houston.

At the 1992 Olympic Trials in Baltimore, Kerri secured fourth place on a six-person team despite a fall during her floor routine. Later, Kerri would go on to help the team win a bronze medal in Barcelona, with her coach Bela Karolyi retiring shortly after. In 1995, she graduated from high school and decided to pursue her dream of making the Olympic team. Kerri won a gold medal in the America’s Cup title in March of 1996 and earned second place at the 1996 Olympic trials in Boston, securing her spot on the American Olympic Team.

At the 1996 Olympic games in Atlanta, the Americans were ahead by less than one point leading up to the last event, when Kerri landed short on her first attempt and fell backward seriously injuring her ankle. After the fall, she proceeded to the springboard to prepare for her second vault with pain piercing throughout her leg. She knew the American team was counting on her to stick the second vault and needed to perform. Adrenaline kicked in as she approached the springboard, and she landed on both feet earning a 9.712 score to secure the gold medal for the iconic Magnificent Seven! Kerri’s ankle injury stopped her from competing in the all-around portion of the competition, preventing her from reaching her personal goal of becoming an All-Around champion, however her final vault inspired those around the gymnastics community.

Kerri graduated from Stanford University and currently works at the United States Justice Department in Washington, coaching various gymnastics camps each summer. Kerri believes that if you work hard, remain persistent and follow your dreams – anyone can have a heart of gold!