Mary Lou Retton is a legendary gymnast who is best known for winning a gold medal in the Olympic all-around at the 1984 summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Now, her daughter McKenna Kelley is following in her footsteps, as she just performed a near-perfect routine at the NCAA championships on Sunday as her proud mother looked on.
McKenna is a senior at Louisiana State University who did not pursue gymnastics until she was 17, the same age her mother was when she retired from the sport. Last year, McKenna suffered a major setback when she tore her Achilles tendon and spent the season on the sidelines, but she redeemed herself at the NCAA championships last weekend by performing an incredible routine.
McKenna was the last routine of the night, and as she stepped out onto the mat, Mary Lou could be seen blowing kisses and flashing perfect 10s at her with her fingers. In the end, LSU came in second and McKenna earned a score of 9.95, just .05 off from a perfect ten. When Mary Lou heard her daughter’s score, she immediately burst into tears of joy and pride!
A very touching moment late, as @LSUgym @mckennamckelley performs her final floor routine as a Tiger, with her legendary mother Mary Lou Retton in tears looking on. Kelley scored a stellar 9.95. pic.twitter.com/YrERX9CtZ3
— Jacques Doucet (@JacquesDoucet) April 21, 2019
McKenna has previously said that though her mother is a gymnastics legend, she has never felt too much pressure following in her footsteps.
“Growing up, I never had that pressure,” McKenna once said. “And I feel like people have a hard time believing that. You see ‘Dance Moms’ and you see how crazy those moms are and you just assume that an Olympic champion would want her child to be like that. But my mom never, ever put pressure on us. Ever. If anything, when we were growing up she’d be like, ‘You should quit. You don’t want to get hurt or anything!’”
I idolized @marylouretton now watching her lovely daughter @mckennamckelley is such a cool experience. Gosh it brings it all back!!! Wonderful final performance for her career at @LSUgym pic.twitter.com/DR9R83G9P8
— Holly Rowe (@sportsiren) April 21, 2019
Even so, McKenna has said that she always knows when her mother is in the crowd cheering her on.
“Her voice is so distinct, and I can always hear it in the crowd,” McKenna once said. “She’s a hollerer, for sure.”
I guess the apple really doesn’t fall far from the tree!
COMMENTS POLICY: We have no tolerance for messages of violence, racism, vulgarity, obscenity or other such discourteous behavior. Thank you for contributing to a respectful and useful online dialogue.