From a young age, Zmeskal trained with Bela Karolyi in her native Houston, TX. She grew up watching Mary Lou Retton train with Bela and was just 8 years old when Mary Lou became Olympic Champion. Kim… + See More +
From a young age, Zmeskal trained with Bela Karolyi in her native Houston, TX. She grew up watching Mary Lou Retton train with Bela and was just 8 years old when Mary Lou became Olympic Champion. Kim… + See More
- See Less - From a young age, Zmeskal trained with Bela Karolyi in her native Houston, TX. She grew up watching Mary Lou Retton train with Bela and was just 8 years old when Mary Lou became Olympic Champion. Kim followed in Mary Lou's footsteps and became one of the world's top gymnasts just a few years later. Kim became the U.S. Junior National Champion at age 13 and went on to become a four-time consecutive U.S. National Champion.
What Kim is most remembered for is becoming America's first All-Around World Champion in 1991. In fact, Kim had a lot of firsts in the American record books. She was the first American gymnast to win four consecutive National all-around titles (Junior National Champion 1989, Senior National Champion 1990-1992), the first and only American gymnast to win three consecutive Senior National all-around titles, the first American gymnast to hold three World titles at once (1991 AA Champion, 1992 Beam and Floor Champion), and the first American gymnast to win world titles on both the Beam and the Floor after her wins at the 1992 World Championships in Paris.
Zmeskal went on to compete in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona and helped the Americans win bronze as a team. Kim shortly retired after the Olympics, but made a comeback and battled through injuries until 1999 when a torn achilles put her out for good.
Today Kim is married to Chris Burdette and together they run Texas Dreams Gymnastics in Coppell, Texas and coach womens senior national team member Chelsea Davis.
#3
TCO January 31, 2009 at 1:59pm
Great comments by Kim. She seems to have a head on her shoulders.
i teared up when she was talking about hilary. you could tell they were great friends. i too loved that moment, hilary let out a huge scream. i was also in the bldg and was screaming my head off and waving the american flag after her floor routine in the aa.
I love this interview! I actually remember all of that unfolding in the tv coverage, and it's so neat to hear everything from her perspective. She was really a trailblazer for USA gymnastics. great interview!
In 1991, 15-year-old Kim Zmeskal made gymnastics history by becoming the first American to win the World All-Around title. Kim recounts each of event of the night she was crowned World Champion.
November 25, 2008
America's First World Champion 
