Kerri Allyson Strug

Could you imagine how much pressure you would have on yourself if you had to complete-and land a second vault to win the gold medal at the Olympics? It seemed impossible to land a second vault after injuring your ankle on the first one. It was your lifelong dream to win. Well, Kerri Strug had to do just that on July 23, 1996. When she did just that, Kerri had just inspired young girls and boys everywhere. Kerri is a wonderful gymnast, has a great family, and has had many struggles in her life that helped her get better. She got better and had many accomplishments. So, she is a huge gymnastics hero.

Bela Karoli carrying Kerri to the podium (mental_floss (Jake Rossen))

Kerri Strug is a wonderful gymnast and has a very supportive family. She was born as Kerri Allyson Strug on November 19, 1977 in Tucson, Arizona. Kerri's awesome family consisted of her mother, father, a brother, and a sister. All of the kids did sports and the family was very busy. She went to Karoli's Gymnastics for most of her career. (She switched there.) She moved when she was 13. Kerri had wonderful coaches that helped her reach her dream, who where Martha and Bela Karoli. At her very first meet, she was 8 years old (Wikipedia). Kerri has had 2 successful Olympics. She has had a very successful gymnastics career.

Kerri Strug had many struggles in her life that helped her get better. One of these struggles was the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Her team was in front of Russia, but not by much. All of the other U.S. gymnasts had fallen on their vaults. It was up to Kerri to land a vault. On her first one she had slightly injured her ankle by falling. So, she had so much pressure on her to complete the second vault. She ended up sticking the landing. The only problem was her ankle was worse and she couldn't walk on it. Bela Karoli had to carry her to the podium at the medal ceremony. Another struggle she endured was having to decide to move to the Karoli's to get better training. This new gym was very far away from her home. She had many host families, and was young to be living without her family. Lastly, Kerri had many awful injuries. She had to persevere and made it through.

Kerri doing what she does best-gymnastics (Buzz Feed (Matt Stopera))

Though Kerri Strug had many struggles, she still had many accomplishments. One was at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics where she earned a bronze medal with her team. Another was at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where she earned a gold medal with her team. As an individual, she has had many Worlds and National medals. She won a scholarship to UCLA but since she was a professional gymnast she was not able to compete at the NCAA level (Wikipedia). She became a manager for the team. She transferred to Stanford where she earned a Bachelor's Degree in Communication and Master's Degree in Sociology. Lastly, she has written books, been in many articles and magazines.

Kerri Strug now (twitter.com ())

Kerri Strug is a huge hero in the gymnastics world. She displays quiet bravery because she was brave with grace and patience. What she did was not life threatening. She inspired people all over the world to follow their dreams. She is a gymnastics hero who led her team to the gold medal. Kerri has also done inspirational talks and written books for young girls to follow their dreams. Lastly, she currently works for the US government.

Kerri Strug once said, "It is important to push yourself further than you think you can go each and every day as that is what separates the good from the great" (Brainy Quote). She had to work very hard to win the Olympics. It wasn't just luck. She inspired young girls and boys all over the world to fight for your dreams and never give up. Not only gymnasts follow Kerri Strug. People all over the world that participate in many sports have also been inspired by her. I am inspired by her to work hard, follow my dreams and never give up.