McKenna Kelley: NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships

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McKenna Kelley: NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Apr 23, 2019 18:26:51 GMT

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Post by Admin on Apr 23, 2019 18:26:51 GMT

When Louisiana State University gymnast McKenna Kelley nailed the final floor routine of the night at the NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships on Saturday, no one was prouder than her mom, Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton.

Retton, 51, was in the audience watching as her daughter's performance earned a sky-high score of 9.95, mere hundredths from the coveted perfect 10.

Retton, the first American woman to win the individual all-around gold medal in gymnastics, flashed "perfect 10" fingers and blew kisses to Kelley, whose seamless routine helped her team finish second at the competition.

Later, the proud mom took to Instagram to share a photo with her 22-year-old daughter.

"Wow what a night! Senior night topped off with a PERFECT 10 on the floor #priceless #beyondproud #mckennasmom," she gushed in the caption.

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McKenna Kelley: NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Apr 25, 2019 17:48:07 GMT

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Post by Admin on Apr 25, 2019 17:48:07 GMT

Mary Lou Retton may have been the first American woman to win all-around gold at the Olympics, but her daughter McKenna Kelley says that growing up, she didn’t quite understand all that her mother had accomplished.

Just days after scoring a near-perfect 10 on her floor routine at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championship, Kelley, 22, and her mother appeared on the Today show to open up about their relationship.

“I don’t think I understood the enormity of what she did and the groundbreaking gymnastics she did at the time. To me she’s just mom,” Kelley, a senior at Louisiana State University shared, adding that after making the decision to pursue gymnastics, she never felt pushed to succeed by her mother.

“I think people expect this elaborate answer of she made me run at 6 a.m in the morning … but she’s just mom to me. That’s all she is,” her daughter replied.

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McKenna Kelley: NCAA Women's Gymnastics Championships Apr 26, 2019 18:39:57 GMT

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Post by Admin on Apr 26, 2019 18:39:57 GMT

“I don’t think I understood the enormity of what she did and the groundbreaking gymnastics that she did at the time,” Kelley said about following in her mother’s footsteps. “To me, she’s just Mom.”

Retton — who (perhaps in a moment of motherly pride) said Kelley’s performance topped hers — was still basking in the glory of her daughter's achievement.

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“It was just such a moment. It was a surreal moment. Should’ve been a 10!” she said.

The 51-year-old said she was never an overbearing sports parent, but she did relay an amusing story from when her daughter was doing cartwheels as a child.

“She was practicing a roundoff and that’s when you bring your feet together and I was saying, ‘Oh, that’s so good, but why don’t you get your feet together quicker?’" Retton recalled. "She looked at me, she goes, ‘What do you know?’"

Kelley has decided to close this chapter of her life, ending her gymnastics career on this high note.

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