What Ever Happened To The Magnificent Seven?
In 1996, the U.S. women's gymnastics team won Olympic gold for the first time in history at the Games in Atlanta. Ever wonder what the Magnificent Seven has been up to since those glory days? You're about to find out.
Shannon Miller
Shannon Miller, who won two gold medals in '96, briefly danced with a career in law after retiring from gymnastics. She graduated from the University of Houston and enrolled in the Boston College Law School in 2003, but later switched gears to launch her own company, Shannon Miller Lifestyle. According to its website, the business "provides Health, Nutrition, Fitness inspiration and information for women looking to live a full and balanced lifestyle."
On the personal front, Miller has been married twice. Her first union to Boston eye surgeon Christopher B. Phillips ended in a bitter divorce in 2006 after seven years. According to People, Phillips accused his wife of adultery and of threatening him during divorce proceedings. "I've been put through the wringer over this," he said. Miller denied the accusations, calling them "lies and innuendo surrounding an emotional divorce...The worst thing I ever did to my ex-husband was to put unleaded gas in his car and not premium. With gas prices these days, do you blame me?" Phillips was arrested in 2015 in Canada for his alleged involvement in a chemical weapons threat, according to the Daily Mail.
In 2008, Miller married businessman John Falconetti. They have two kids: Rocco and Sterling.
In December 2010, Miller was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after doctors discovered a baseball-sized cyst on her left ovary. The cancer treatments were successful, and in June 2016, she celebrated five years cancer-free. "I thank God every day that I'm here," she told People.
Dominique Dawes
Dominique Dawes was one of two gymnasts from the Magnificent Seven to return to the Olympics at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia. She helped the squad win bronze in the team finals.
After the Olympics, Dawes dabbled briefly in the entertainment business, appearing in the Broadway production of Grease, as well as music videos for Missy Elliott and Prince. In 2010, she was hired by Yahoo! to contribute to a lifestyle series called Weekend Edition.
As of 2016, Dawes spends much of her time working as a motivational speaker and gymnastics coach. She's also the co-chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition.
Dominique Moceanu
Dominique Moceanu's post-Atlanta career got off to a bumpy start, due in large part to her strained relationship with her parents. According to The New York Times, she accused them of squandering the money she earned as a gymnast and was granted emancipation in 1998. The following year, she obtained a permanent restraining order against her father, Dumitru Moceanu, whom she accused of stalking and harassing her. Moceanu attempted multiple comebacks in her sport throughout the years but never regained her Olympic glory.
On the bright side, Moceanu eventually mended her relationship with her mom and dad—enough to invite them to her 2006 wedding to surgeon and former gymnast Michael Canales. The couple have two children together and live in Cleveland, Ohio.
In 2012, Moceanu made headlines again when she revealed that she had a secret sister. According to People, Moceanu learned the truth after she "received a package with a letter and photos of a young woman who resembled her younger sister, Christina." Moceanu confronted her parents, who confessed they gave her secret sister up for adoption because she was born without legs and they could not afford the medical bills. "It was the biggest bombshell of my life," Moceanu told 20/20.
The Olympian talks about her family's dynamics in her 2012 memoir, Off Balance. In the book, she also details the allegedly terrifying experience of being trained by renowned coaches Béla and Márta Károlyi. She accused them of physical and emotional abuse in 2008 and called for their removal from any involvement with the national team. "There are so many good coaches in the U.S. that could get the same results," she told the Los Angeles Times. "They are using an old way of overtraining. The results might be commendable, but it's not right." As of 2016, Márta is still involved prominently in the sport, serving as the national team coordinator for USA Gymnastics.
Kerri Strug
Kerri Strug became a worldwide icon for her gold medal-cinching vault in Atlanta. After the Games, she earned a bachelor's degree from Stanford University in 2001, followed by a master's degree in sociology. According to Sports Illustrated, Strug works as a program manager for the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. "Gymnastics really brought me out of my shell and completely changed the trajectory of my life," she said in 2015. "Now the work I do is making a difference across the nation, making sure that youths who don't have the opportunities I was given are taken care of and given opportunities to be the best they possibly can be."
Strug and her husband have two children. "Being a mom is the greatest accomplishment of my life," she told Sports Illustrated. "I think your definition of success and defining moments changes and evolves as life moves forward. The '96 Games gave me an amazing moment that means so much to me, but I've had many more moments since that have been even more important to me and my family."
Amy Chow
Along with Dawes, Amy Chow also competed at the 2000 Games in Sydney before officially retiring from the sport. She earned her bachelor's degree and a medical degree from Stanford University and now works as a pediatrician. She married her longtime beau, Justin Ho, in 2010.
Amanda Borden
In 2006, Amanda Borden married college sweetheart Brad Cochran, and the following year, she became the first member of the Magnificent Seven to have a baby when the couple welcomed daughter Kennedy Faith.
Borden, who was captain of the '96 team, runs the Gold Medal Gymnastics Academy in Arizona with her husband. "My goal is to touch the lives of children all across Arizona to help them reach their goals, whatever they may be," she said, via the academy's website. Borden graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in elementary education and "continues to serve as a gymnastics and cheerleading commentator for CBS Sports, Fox Sports, ESPN and NBC," according to the academy's site.
Jaycie Phelps
Jaycie Phelps reportedly married fellow Olympic gymnast Brett McClure in 2005 but divorced in 2008. In 2010, she and then-boyfriend Dave Marus, a fellow gymnastics coach, launched the Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center in Greenfield, Ind. According to the center's website, the facility is "25,000 square foot athletic training center featuring gymnastics, cheer tumbling, special events and afterschool care." Phelps and Marus wed in 2014.