Pursuit of Gold with Laura Wilkinson
Health & Fitness:Fitness
S1E70 - Striving for Balance with Olympic Champion Dominique Moceanu
Joining Laura today is Dominique Moceanu, the youngest Olympic gold medalist in US gymnastics history and youngest senior US national all-around champion in history. Dominique was a member of the first US women's gymnastics team to win Olympic gold in 1996, commonly referred to as the ‘Magnificent Seven’ by the media. A nine-time US national team member as well as back-to-back junior and senior all-around national champion, Dominique has been inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame with her 1996 teammates. But, as life would have it, all that glitter isn’t gold. Even though Dominique made history as a young athlete and achieved astonishing results in her career, that success came with a heavy price. From a toxic sports environment to abusive coaching methods, there were a lot of things happening behind the scenes while Dominique and her teammates were winning medals and making gymnastics history.
In this episode of the Pursuit of Gold podcast, Dominique opens up about her emotional and challenging journey. First, she tells us about the impact of the abusive sports environment on young athletes and the toll that it takes on their mental health. Then, she walks us through all the events that were leading up to the Olympics, as well as the hardships she endured after the competition. When Dominique finally decided to speak up about her experiences, everything changed for her. She was abandoned by the community and had to find another way to make a living. Fast forward a few years, and she’s now a New York Times best-selling author and an advocate for athletes' rights and protection. Tune into this episode to hear all about her mission to make sports safer for future generations of athletes.
Episode Highlights:
Quotes:
Pursuit of Gold Podcast is brought to you by Kaatsu Global
Links: Get Your Freebie: ‘Five Ways to Stay Focused in a Competition’ The Pursuit of Gold The Confidence Journal Life at 10 Meters: Lessons from an Olympic Champion Pursuit of Gold Merch
Laura’s Social Media: Laura’s Instagram Laura’s Facebook
Connect with Dominique: Dominique’s Twitter Dominique’s Instagram Dominique’s YouTube Channel Dominique’s LinkedIn
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