She won gold with grace. But now, she’s facing a moment that couldn’t be further from the podium. Bodycam footage has surfaced from Mary Lou Retton’s DUI arrest in May. Painting a jarring picture of the former Olympic star in distress. The 57-year-old was pulled over in Fairmont, West Virginia, her hometown, after officers flagged her Porsche for erratic driving. Inside, a wine bottle sat in full view on the front seat.
Then came the line no one expected. Retton looked at the officers and said, “I’m a gold medalist.” It wasn’t the only moment that raised eyebrows. The situation quickly escalated into a tense, awkward exchange. She appeared rattled and defensive, even telling one officer he was “too young” to know who she was.
Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton clashes with cops in wild roadside exchange
The officers asked her to perform a straight-line sobriety test. “You should be pretty good at this,” one joked, referencing her gymnastic past. Retton replied dryly, “Yeah, I mean upside down.” She refused to cooperate fully and kept circling back to her identity and health struggles. “I nearly died from double pneumonia,” she told them. “I’ll die here, and you guys will live with that.”
Mary Lou Retton DUI mug shots show her looking dazed and disheveled https://t.co/fOUmiCFs6T pic.twitter.com/a3G8wWuRpS
— New York Post (@nypost) July 8, 2025
The illness she mentioned wasn’t an exaggeration. Retton spent months recovering from a dangerous case of pneumonia in 2023, one that left her dependent on oxygen. Earlier this year, she spoke about the ordeal, calling it “a lifetime of recovery.” But on that roadside, the comments took a more desperate tone.
In the end, Retton was fined just $100. Protected by her status as a first-time offender. Through her lawyer, she later issued a statement. “What happened was completely unacceptable. I make no excuses.” Once a symbol of American athletic excellence, Retton now finds herself under a different spotlight. And this time, the cameras are not rolling in celebration.
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