Olympic great Retton recovering from deadly condition

American gymnast Mary-Lou Retton waves on the podium after receiving her gold medal in women’s individual all-around category, during the Summer Olympic Games at Los Angeles, 1984.
Photo: AFP

Olympic gold medallist Mary Lou Retton is home from hospital and “in recovery mode,” her daughter said on Tuesday, after a rare form of pneumonia left the American fighting for her life.

Retton, 55, has spent nearly two weeks in an intensive care unit where she was unable to breathe on her own.

“We still have a long road of recovery ahead of us, but baby steps,” McKenna Lane Kelley, who is one of Retton’s four daughters, said in a post on social media.

“We are overwhelmed with the love and support from everyone. Grateful doesn’t scrape the surface of the posture of our hearts.”

American gymnast Mary-Lou Retton performs her exercise on the balance beam during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
Photo: –

Nicknamed “America’s Sweetheart”, Retton’s gold medal-winning performance at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles captured the imagination of U.S. fans and her hospitalisation has prompted an outpouring of support.

A fundraising page set up by the family to help cover Retton’s hospital bills was approaching $US460,000 ($NZ786,000) in donations on Tuesday. The family previously revealed that Retton is uninsured.

“Thank you Jesus, thank you doctors & nurses, thank you to this loving community of support,” Kelley said.

– Reuters