In the summer of 1996, it was bigger than Friends and better than the fledgling new reality show The Real World. The best show on earth was the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and the main event, filled with sparkles and scrunchies and killer quad muscles, was the USA women’s gymnastics competition.
Long before “Yes we can,” America’s rallying cry briefly became “You can do it”—the words spoken, of course, by coach Bela Károly as 18-year-old Kerri Strug attempted to stick the landing on the final vault with a very injured ankle. Stick it she did: In front of 32,000 fans and a global television audience, Krug’s remarkable act of perseverance, athleticism, and courage clinched our country’s first-ever team gold medal in women’s gymnastics, edging out arch-rivals Russia and Romania. The team, known as the Magnificent Seven, went down in sports history and became true American heroines—Wheaties boxes, Tonight Show appearances, Sports Illustrated covers, White House visits, and all.
Of course, a lot has changed in women’s gymnastics since the Magnificent Seven—which also included Dominique Dawes, Shannon Miller, Amanda Borden, Dominque Moceanu, Jaycie Phelps, and Amy Chow—made Olympics history 28 years ago. And many of those changes have led to major reckonings: In 2016, the Larry Nassar sexual abuse scandal rocked the sport; allegations against famed coaches Márta and Bela Károly ultimately led them to close their training ranch and flee the country. And, who could forget Simone Biles’ meteoric rise to worldwide gymnastic stardom or her groundbreaking decision to withdraw from the 2020 Tokyo Games to prioritize her mental health?
Regardless of what’s transpired since—or how the pressure placed on Strug and her teammates looks under today’s microscope— there’s still no question that the USA 1996 Olympic Gymnastics Team made an indelible mark on American sports history and inspired a whole generation of youths, athletes and otherwise. As Strug has said of the moment, “It was a catalyst for women in sports. We were the first generation to really see the success of Title IX. Since those Games, the progress has just catapulted and female athletes now have a shot at doing whatever it is they want to do.”
Here’s a look at where each member of the Magnificent Seven is now.
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