One of the oldest sports in human history, gymnastics is in the upper echelon of respected sports. Not formally recognized as a sport until 1881, gymnastics has been a mainstay in the olympic games ever since. Now when you think of the sport, female gymnasts come to mind. But it wasn’t always like that. Up until the 1920s, women were actually barred from competing, but thanks to the women’s liberation movement in the early 20th century, it’s a level playing field for both men and women (although they are still judged in different divisions.) These days, gymnastics is a grueling sport that involves lifelong commitment, all with the hopes of getting those gold medals. Let’s take a look at what a few of our favorite olympic gymnasts are up to after all of these years.
Jamie Dantzsher – Then
Jamie Dantzsher was on the American Women Gymnastics team in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Although they didn’t get any medals that year for placing 4th, the american team retroactively won the bronze medal when it came out that the Chinese (who won bronze) team lied about the ages of some of their team.
Jamie Dantzsher – Now
These days Jamie is teaching gymnastics at her own gym, but after the 2000 Olympics, she went on to attend college at UCLA, where she was part of the All-American team for all 7 years of her undergraduate career. Unfortunately Jamie has been in the news lately due to her allegations of abuse at the hands of serval high-level olympic coaches.
McKayla Maroney – Then
McKayla first burst out onto the gymnastics scene during the 2012 London Olympics, where she was an important member of the gold-winning American gymnastics team. Although most of you might know here from here meme-fame when someone captured an utterly disappointed expression of McKayla when she found out she only won silver for her vault performance.
McKayla Maroney – Now
These days, McKayla has actually become quite the social media influencer, with high numbers across all of her accounts. She has recently revealed that she is working on becoming a musician, which came out of left field for many. Up until now, she had her hand in a couple acting spots as well, being in a Thirty Seconds to Mars video and a couple episodes of the ABC Show the “Hart of Dixie”
Gabby Douglas – Then
Gabby Douglas is the one of the most decorated female gymnast in recent history, and she has only just begun. Competing in both the 2012 and 2016 olympics, Gabby is also the only African-American female to win the individual all-around gold medal.
Gabby Douglas – Now
