Miller, Shannon
Gymnastics
b. March 10, 1977, Edmond, OK
Shannon Miller won more medals in major international competition than any other American gymnast, male or female: 7 in the Olympics and 9 in world championship competition for a grand total of 16.
She entered elite international competition in 1990. At the 1992 Olympics, Miller won five medals, two silver and three bronze, to lead all female athletes. Her silver medals came in the all-around and the balance beam, her bronzes in the floor exercise, uneven bars, and team competition. Her second place in the all-around was the highest finish ever by an American gymnast in that event at a non-boycotted Olympics.
Miller grew an inch to 4-foot-10 and went from 69 to 79 pounds before the 1993 world championships, where she won gold medals in the all-around, floor exercise, and uneven bars, despite the fact that she felt ill during her warmups and had serious problems with her balance beam routine during the all-around competition.
At the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, Miller became the first American gymnast to win gold on the balance beam and she also took a gold medal in the team competition.
Miller didn't compete in the 2000 Olympics, but she worked as an analyst for MSNBC's coverage. After headlining the TJ Maxx Tour of World Gymnastics Champions after the Olympics and taking part in the 2001 Reese's Cup competition, she announced her retirement from competition.
Soon afterward, she graduated from college, got married, and entered the Boston College School of Law. Miller serves as a motivational speaker and continues to conduct balance beam clinics for young gymnasts.