Gymnastics legend Mary Lou Retton was the first American female athlete to win a gold medal in her sport’s individual all-around competition at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. She also clinched two silver and two bronze medals at the Olympics that year, making her the most decorated athlete at the Games and catapulting her to global fame.
However, the 57-year-old, who had previously battled a medical condition, is now facing legal troubles after she was arrested by the police and slammed with a charge of “driving under the influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs.”
Mary Lou Retton gets slammed with a DUI charge
BREAKING: Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton has been arrested in West Virginia on a DUI charge pic.twitter.com/TzsMpJwjJ5
— 🅱️ARRON ™ (@PulseBarron) May 27, 2025
Court documents revealed that Fairmount police pulled over Retton on May 17 after authorities received complaints about someone driving erratically in a Porsche. In the criminal complaint filed by the officers, they revealed that the gold medalist exhibited signs of intoxication, including slurred speech and the smell of alcohol on her breath. Also, she failed a field sobriety test, and an open container of wine was also found in the passenger seat of her vehicle. Despite the obvious, Retton declined to undergo a blood test or a roadside breath test in order to ascertain blood alcohol level.
She was eventually released from custody after posting a $1,500 personal recognizance bond, allowing her to remain free while awaiting further legal proceedings.
Mary Lou Retton had previously made the news amid a pneumonia battle
This incident comes just a couple of years after Retton made headlines for a life-threatening battle with a rare form of pneumonia in late 2023. Her daughter took to social media to announce that her mom was uninsured, leading to the launch of a crowdfunding campaign to cover her medical expenses. The campaign garnered an outpouring of support from fans and fellow athletes, amounting to a total of over $450,000.
Since the donations, details of how the fund was expended have remained sketchy, as neither Retton nor her daughter has given any clarification on that.