Dominique Dawes
Dominque Dawes (born Nov. 20, 1976) had a long career as an Olympic gymnast, appearing in three different Olympic Games (1992, 1996, and 2000). She is also one of only three female American gymnasts, along with Muriel Grossfeld and Linda Metheny-Mulvihill, to have competed in three Olympics. Dawes was also the first African American to win an individual Olympic medal in gymnastics, winning the bronze medal in the floor at the 1996 Games. She also was the first African American to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics, earning a team bronze in the 1992 Games, in addition to team gold and her bronze (floor) medal at the 1996 Games. Dawes was an integral member of the 1996 U.S. gold medal-winning team, the "Magnificent Seven," as she was the only member of the team to have all eight of her scores count toward the team total. She was also the 1994 U.S. all-around senior National Champion. Dawes was particularly well-known for her expertise in the floor. Above are her individual floor routines from the 1996 Olympics (bronze) and five years earlier from the 1991 U.S. Nationals.
