 Kerri
was born in Tucson, Arizona on November 19, 1977. She began her
gymnastics career in a two year old “Mom and Tot’s” class. She competed
in her first meet at the age of 8 years old. When Kerri was 13, she
moved to Houston, Texas to train with the world-renound Bela Karolyi,
pictured above. While at the Karolyi’s gym, Kerri worked out 6-7 days a
week and an average of 8 hours a day. Kerri had to live hundreds of
miles away from her parents with a series of host families. Kerri became
the youngest United States Athlete in the 1992 Olympics. She won the
America’s Cup title and earned a spot on the Olympic Team in 1996,
hosted here in Atlanta. The women’s team won the gold medal for the team
competition and it was Kerri that clinched it with her second vault
after spraining her left ankle and tearing 2 ligaments on her first
vault. The image of Bela Karolyi carrying Kerri after she secured the
team gold medal is one of the most enduring images in sports history. |