Kerri Allyson Strug Fischer is a retired American gymnast who became a national icon for her courageous performance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.
Despite injuring her ankle on her first vault attempt, she landed a second vault that secured the gold medal for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team, the first in history. Strug’s story of determination and triumph is one of the most memorable moments in Olympic history.
Kerri Strug is a famous American gymnast with an incredible net worth of $4 million. She loved gymnastics since childhood and worked hard to master it. She became a legend in the 1996 Olympics when she vaulted with a hurt ankle and won gold.
Kerri Strug has a total net worth of $4 million as of now.
Strug’s net worth shows her skills and achievements in other areas. She retired from gymnastics and became an educator and a public servant. She also wrote a book, starred in TV and ads, and supported good causes. Strug is still a popular and respected icon in gymnastics and beyond.
Strug made her Olympic debut in 1992 at 14, as the youngest member of the U.S. team. She helped the team win a bronze medal, the first for the U.S. women’s gymnastics team since 1948.
The former gymnast also qualified for the all-around final but was edged out by her teammate Kim Zmeskal.
After the 1992 Olympics, Strug moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, to train with Steve Nunno, the coach of Shannon Miller, another U.S. star gymnast. However, she suffered a severe stomach injury requiring surgery and extensive rehabilitation. She missed most of the 1993 season and returned to competition in 1994.
Kerri Strug earned gold for the US with her final vault despite ankle pain.
In 1994, Strug faced another setback when she fell off the uneven bars during a compulsory routine and landed on her back. She was taken to the hospital and diagnosed with a strained back muscle. She recovered in time for the World Championships, where she helped the U.S. team win a bronze medal.
Kerri Strug talks to Tanya Rivero about winning gold in 1996 with an injured ankle.
Strug moved to Tucson in 1995 and trained with Akopian and Gault. She helped the U.S. team win a bronze medal at the World Championships and placed seventh in the all-around.
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Strug’s crowning moment came at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where she was part of the “Magnificent Seven”, the first U.S. women’s gymnastics team to win a gold medal. The team consisted of Strug, Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Amy Chow, Amanda Borden, and Jaycie Phelps.
The U.S. women’s gymnastics team needed two good vaults to beat Russia and win the gold medal. Moceanu fell twice, leaving Strug with the pressure. She hurt her ankle on her first vault, but still did a perfect second one and landed on both feet. She scored 9.712 and secured the gold for her team, as the crowd cheered and cried.
Strug was carried by Károlyi to the podium, where she joined her teammates in celebrating their historic victory. She later found out that she had torn two ligaments in her ankle and could not compete in the individual events. However, she had already achieved her dream of becoming an Olympic champion and a national hero.
After the 1996 Olympics, Strug decided to end her gymnastics career and focus on her studies instead. Her undergraduate degree is in sociology from Stanford University, and her graduate degree in education is from UCLA. She has done stints in the classroom, in newspapers, in public relations, and even in government.
Both Presidents Bush and Obama appointed her to positions in their respective administrations, the first as a staff assistant in the White House Office of Presidential Student Correspondence and the second as an official in the Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
The former star has also starred in several TV ads and shows, and she worked as a Yahoo! correspondent at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.
Kerri Strug is a former gymnast who married Robert Fischer, a lawyer and ex-staffer for a congressman, in 2010. They tied the knot at a country club in her hometown of Tucson, Arizona. Robert had worked for Lamar Smith, a Republican representative from Texas. Both of them met at a friend’s wedding two years before their own.
Kerri Strug, alongside her spouse Robert Fischer.
The couple now lives in Washington, D.C., where Robert is a partner at a law firm. They have two children: Tyler, who was born in 2012, and Alayna, who was born in 2012. Kerri is a motivational speaker and the author of two books.
Strug’s parents are Melanie Barron and Burt Strug. Melanie is a former nurse who later became a homemaker. Burt is a cardiovascular surgeon who immigrated to the U.S. from Romania. He is Jewish and his family survived the Holocaust.
Strug was raised Jewish and had a bat mitzvah ceremony when she was 12. Her parents were very supportive of her gymnastics career and attended many of her competitions. They also helped her cope with injuries, pressure, and fame.
Kerri Strug is a former gymnast who went to Green Fields Country Day School in Tucson until she was 14. She then moved to Houston to train with a famous coach, Bela Karolyi. She attended a private school there and graduated in 1995. She got a full scholarship to UCLA, but she could not join the gymnastics team because she had become a professional athlete.
Kerri worked as a team manager for UCLA and studied communications. She later switched to Stanford University and got two degrees in sociology. She finished her bachelor’s degree in 2001 and her master’s degree in 2002. She is one of the most educated Olympians in history.
