Metheny, Linda J.
Gymnastics
b. Aug. 12, 1947, Olney, IL
Metheny began competing as a gymnast in 1962. Two years later, she made the U. S. Olympic team. The national all-around champion in 1966, 1968, 1970, 1971, and 1972, she won the NCAA all-around title in 1967 as a member of the University of Illinois team.
At the 1967 Pan-American Games, Metheny won a record five gold medals, taking every event including the all-around championship. She became the first American woman ever to qualify for the Olympic finals in an individual event in 1968, when she finished fourth in the balance beam.
A member of the 1972 Olympic team that placed fourth, Metheny suffered an injury and was unable to compete in the individual finals. She retired from competition after the Olympics and married her long-time coach, Dick Mulvihill. In 1973, they opened a gymnastics academy in Eugene, OR. Among their students were U. S. Olympians Julianne McNamara and Tracee Telavera and Canadian Olympian Keri Kelsall.