During a steamy summer day in late July 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Dominique Dawes, Kerri Strug, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, and Amanda Borden cemented themselves in Olympic history. "The Magnificent Seven," as they were soon known around the world, came into the games as the underdogs. The dominant Romanian and Russian teams were favored to win gold and silver, leaving the USA with bronze. Americans, however, knew differently. These seven gymnasts chosen to represent their country made up the strongest women's olympic team the United States had ever seen. The chances of bringing home team olympic gold for the first time in history was more more of a reality than the world knew. These games being on home soil was just the icing on the cake.
In the 1996 games, each team was comprised of seven members with six competing on each event. Of these six, the top five scores were counted. The American team was strong and balanced, comprised of incredible all-around gymnasts and apparatus specialists.
• Shannon Miller - Coming into the 1996 trials as the reigning National Champion, Shannon was one of the members with Olympic experience being a member of the 1992 bronze medal winning team. She is the second most decorated American gymnast in history, male or female, behind Simone Biles. Shannon is the only woman, in any sport, to be inducted into the United States Olympic Hall of Fame twice, as an individual and for her team.
At the 1996 games, Miller won individual gold in the balance beam finals.
• Dominque Moceanu - The youngest member of the team at only 14, Dominique was a rock solid gymnast with unmatched consistency, and was an incredible performer. Her floor routines were dynamic and energetic, making her a crowd favorite. The fact that she was an unbelievably consistent gymnast was the reason her two falls on vault in the team finals were so shocking. She was first named to the US National Team at the age of 10, and was named National Champion at her first senior championships in 1995.
Plagued by an injury that was still affecting her gymnastics at the games and caused her to sit out trials and petition onto the team, Dominique narrowly missed an individual medal on floor, finishing fourth behind teammate Dominique Dawes.
• Dominique Dawes - Dawes is a three-time Olympian, being members of the 1992, 1996, and 2000 teams. She is the first black woman to ever win an individual Olympic medal in artistic gymnastics. As the 1994 US All Around Champion, she swept that competition winning titles on all four events as well. At the 1996 US Championships, she also won all four of the event finals, making her the only gymnast in history to achieve this feat twice.
At the 1996 games, Dawes was awarded the bronze medal on floor in the event finals.
• Kerri Strug - Kerri became the face of The Magnificent Seven when her heroic vault landing on one foot cemented the team's gold medal finish. After two falls by Moceanu and a fall by Strug resulting in an ankle injury on her first vault, it came down to her second. This moment is one of the most memorable in Olympic history, and any gymnastics fan who was watching could still tell you today right where they were when they witnessed this moment. An historic landing for a team making their own history, first ever team gold.
Strug was an Olympic veteran in 1996 after being the youngest member of the 1992 team at only 14 years old.
• Amy Chow - 2016 was the first olympic appearance for Amy but not the only as she was also selected for the 2000 games in Sydney. She is known for winning silver on bars in 1996, tying with Bi Wenjing of China which in itself ended up being controversial as Wenjing made an obvious error that was not counted against her.
• Jaycie Phelps - 1995 and 1996 were big years for Jaycie. At the 1995 Classic, she finished first in the all-around, balance beam, uneven bars, and floor. Then at the 1995 National Championships she places 3rd behind future teammates Miller and Moceanu, and was then selected to the Worlds team. The following year she finished second at nationals behind Miller, and finished third at Olympic Trials, landing her a spot on the team.
Jaycie competed on all four events in Atlanta with continuously solid performances, helping lead the team to their first ever gold medal.
• Amanda Borden - Amanda was unanimously voted team captain for The Magnificent Seven. She was known not only for her contagious and bubbly personality, but also for her clean lines and strong technique. After barely missing the 1992 team, Borden considered retirement, but ultimately decided to try for the Olympics one more time, and it paid off. In 1996 she placed 4th at Nationals and 5th at Olympic Trials, earning her a spot on the team. At the games she competed on floor and beam, and all four of her scores (compulsory and optional) were counted toward the team's pursuit of gold.
These girls became America's sweethearts after bringing home team gold for the first time in US history. Minus those few mistakes on vault, The Magnificent Seven competed beautifully with confidence and shocked the world in one of what is still considered one of the most iconic Olympic moments.
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