Collaged image of Dominique Dawes
 
 

Dominique dawes

b. 1976

Silver Spring, Maryland

Gymnast

Today, viral videos of Simone Biles and Sophina DeJesus flood our timelines and warm our hearts. But Black representation in Gymnastics wasn't always this visible, as we seldom secured spots on any teams.

That all changed in the early '90s.

Dominique Dawes, a gymnast out of Maryland, joined the US Olympics team in 1992. Dawes and her other Black teammate, Betty Okino, took home the Bronze, becoming the first Black women to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics.

Then, in 1996, as part of the Magnificent Seven, Dawes and co. won the Olympic Gold - making her the first Black woman to receive a Gold medal in Gymnastics. She also won an individual Bronze for her Floor routine, making her the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic medal in women's gymnastics.

  • Olympic Bronze Medalist (Team) (2000)

    Olympic Gold and Bronze Medalist (Team & Floor) (1996)

    National Champion (all-around and four events) (1994)

    World Championships Silver Medalist (Bars & Beam) (1993)

    Olympic Bronze Medalist (1992)

    National Uneven Bars Champion (1992)

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