One of the most memorable gymnastics moments of all time is Kerri Strug’s remarkable vault at the 1996 Olympic Games. Strug became the hero of the 1996 Olympics after injuring her ankle and landing her final vault on one leg to secure team USA's gold medal. Almost 20 years later, this moment still stands as one of the most epic, gutsy, and fearless moments of gymnastics history. 

 

For those who don’t know the story or need a refresher… 

 

 

USA had a strong team heading into the 1996 Olympic Games and knew they had a chance to win the team gold for the first time in history. They had momentum heading into the team finals and carried it through the first three events. USA held a 0.897 lead over Russia with USA finishing on vault and Russia on floor. Dominique Moceanu and Strug were the last two up on the event. Moceanu uncharacteristically fell on both of her vaults, and with Russia still finishing on floor, it was up to Strug to nail her vault and secure gold. Shockingly, Strug fell on her first vault and injured her ankle. Then came the moment that will be etched in history forever. With Bela Karolyi's famous words of encouragement, "You can do it," Strug completed her vault, landing on one leg, and clinched the team gold for USA.

 

While everyone remembers this moment and this competition, not everyone knows Strug’s entire story. In our next Legends documentary, we share Strug’s story from her beginning gymnastics days through the Olympics and all the way to her life now, post-gymnastics. She talks about the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, her years of turmoil switching gyms and coaches, and what stands out most looking back on her gymnastics career. She also, of course, talks about the 1996 Olympics and how that one vault changed her as a gymnast and a person.

Stay tuned for this revealing and insightful documentary that you won’t want to miss! The trailer will be released next Wednesday, Sept 23.

 

Watch our Legends documentary on Moceanu here where she talks about the 1996 games as well as much, much more. 

 

Related:

Legends: Dominique Moceanu 
Legends: Mary Lou Retton and McKenna Kelley