Mary Lou Retton Suffers ‘Scary Setback’ in Pneumonia Battle, per Family

The 1984 Olympic gymnastics champion remains in the ICU at a Texas hospital.
Mary Lou Retton Suffers ‘Scary Setback’ in Pneumonia Battle, per Family
Mary Lou Retton Suffers ‘Scary Setback’ in Pneumonia Battle, per Family /

Olympic champion gymnast Mary Lou Retton suffered a “scary setback” earlier this week in her battle with a rare form of pneumonia, her daughter Shayla Kelley Schrepfer revealed Wednesday night on Instagram.

An initial report last week painted a grim picture for Retton, as she was said to be “fighting for her life” in the ICU at a Texas hospital. However, Retton made an improvement over the weekend, and things seemed to be heading in a positive direction.

But after a setback this week, the 55-year-old Retton remains in the ICU.

“We were so excited,” Schrepfer began her post. “Seeing so much progress. And then yesterday, we had a pretty scary setback. She is still in ICU, and we’re just working through some things as far as her setback goes.”

Schrepfer noted that Retton had a better day on Wednesday but that she is exhausted from her illness. 

Retton became the first American female gymnast to win gold in the Olympic all-around in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The all-around gold was one of five medals she won in those Games. 


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Mike McDaniel
MIKE MCDANIEL

Mike McDaniel is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where he has worked since January 2022. His work has been featured at InsideTheACC.com, SB Nation, FanSided and more. McDaniel hosts the Hokie Hangover Podcast, covering Virginia Tech athletics, as well as Basketball Conference: The ACC Football Podcast. Outside of work, he is a husband and father, and an avid golfer.