WHERE ARE THEY NOW: 12 of America's youngest Olympic stars

• Many Olympic athletes are still teenagers when they compete.

• Dominique Moceanu won gold in gymnastics at 14 and now advocates to end abuse in the sport.

• Kerri Strug was 14 at her first Olympics and now works for the government in Washington, DC.

• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

At 16 years old, Mary Lou Retton won the individual all-around gold medal at the 1984 Olympics.

Retton was the first American woman to win the all-around gold medal with perfect scores on floor exercise and vault. The achievement skyrocketed her to stardom and made her one of the most popular athletes in the US, nicknamed "America's sweetheart."

Retton appeared on season 27 of "Dancing with the Stars" in 2018.

Retton was eliminated in the sixth week of "Dancing with the Stars." She shared on the show that she had gotten divorced from husband Shannon Kelley, whom she married in 1990.

Retton's daughter McKenna Kelley followed in her mother's footsteps, competing in gymnastics for Louisiana State University in 2019. Retton could be spotted in the stands blowing kisses and holding up 10 fingers for a perfect 10.

Shannon Miller competed in her first Olympics in 1992 at age 15 and led Team USA to the all-around gold as part of the "Magnificent Seven" in 1996.

With seven medals, including two gold, Miller remains the second most-decorated American gymnast ever behind Simone Biles.

Miller is now a cancer survivor and motivational speaker who advocates for women's health.

Miller earned a law degree from Boston College in 2010. At 33 years old, she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and underwent surgery and chemotherapy.

With a clean bill of health, Miller became an advocate for women's health and a motivational speaker sharing lessons from her Olympic success and cancer journey. She also published a 2015 memoir, "It's Not About Perfect: Competing for My Country and Fighting for My Life."

In 1996, Dominique Moceanu became the youngest US gymnast to win gold when she was 14.

Moceanu was also a member of the "Magnificent Seven", the first US gymnastics team to win the team gold medal.

Moceanu has become an activist working to end sexual, emotional, and physical abuse in gymnastics and other sports.

Moceanu released a memoir called "Off Balance" in 2012 in which she alleged experiencing abuse from USA Gymnastics coaches Bela and Martha Karolyi. (The coaches denied claims of abuse in 2018 and defended their training environment.)

Moceanu now runs her own gymnastics gym and speaks out about abuse in the sport, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 that USA Gymnastics ignored reports of sexual abuse.

Dominique Dawes was a member of three Olympic medal-winning gymnastics teams.

Dawes medaled in Barcelona in 1992 at 16 years old, became the first Black person to win an individual medal in gymnastics at the Olympics in 1996, and returned again in 2000 for a total of four medals.

Dawes currently runs her own gymnastics and ninja gym in Maryland.

President Barack Obama appointed Dawes as co-chair of his Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition in 2010. She has also worked as an Olympic analyst for "Good Morning America" and Fox Sports.

Kerri Strug was 14 years old at her first Olympics in 1992 - the youngest Olympian in the games.

Strug became a household name in 1996, when she successfully vaulted with an injured ankle to secure Team USA's gold medal.

Strug currently works for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in Washington, DC.

After the Olympics, Strug authored "Landing on My Feet: A Diary of Dreams" and earned a master's degree in sociology from Stanford. She also does charity work with organizations such as The March of Dimes, The Child and Family Network Centers, and the Prader-Willi Syndrome Association.

Jaycie Phelps was 17 years old when she won gold as part of the "Magnificent Seven."

Phelps had a vault named after her that is no longer in the Code of Points.

Phelps now runs her own gym, the Jaycie Phelps Athletic Center, in Indiana.

Phelps founded the gym in 2010. It offers training in recreational and competitive gymnastics, All Star cheer, and tumbling.

Tara Lipinski remains the youngest ever gold medalist in Olympic figure skating since her win at the 1998 Winter Olympics at 15 years old.

Lipinski became the first female athlete to land a triple loop-triple loop in competition, beating Michelle Kwan to win the gold medal.

Lipinski went on to become a sports commentator with fellow skater Johnny Weir.

After a stint with the touring figure-skating show "Stars on Ice," Lipinski began working as a commentator for NBC's Olympic coverage.

Michael Phelps set his first world record at 15 years old.

Phelps didn't medal at his first Olympics in 2000, but he went on to become the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals, 23 of which are gold.

Post-Olympics, Phelps became an outspoken advocate for mental health.

Phelps retired after the 2016 Olympic Games. After seeking help for his own mental health struggles, he encourages others do the same through the Michael Phelps Foundation and speaks openly about living with depression. He is also a commentator at this year's games.

Gabby Douglas was 16 years old when she won the women's all-around title in 2012.

Douglas was a member of the "Fierce Five" in 2012. At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, she narrowly missed the opportunity to defend her all-around title.

Douglas has since published two books and made numerous appearances on television shows.

Douglas has written two autobiographies: "Grace, Gold, and Glory My Leap of Faith" and "Raising the Bar."

She has also appeared on "Undercover Boss" and "Special Skills," and she won "The Masked Dancer" as Cotton Candy in 2020.

At 15 years old, McKayla Maroney's dissatisfied face upon winning a silver medal went viral.

Maroney won the team gold in 2012 as a member of the "Fierce Five," posting a higher score than any of her teammates with a near-perfect 16.233 on the vault. However, she appeared less-than-thrilled with her silver medal in the individual vault final.

In 2020, Maroney embarked on a singing career with singles "Wake Up Call" and "Covid Lockdown."

She has also acted on TV shows, including "Hart of Dixie" and "Bones."

Maroney recently spoke out about the abuse she endured as a gymnast in an Instagram post, comparing her experience with Britney Spears' fight to end her controversial conservatorship.

She said: "Britney's story resonates with me so much because just like Britney, I also had to 'fake it till you make it' to survive my 2012 Olympics. I was just trying to accomplish my dream, but I had abuse coming at me from many angles that I didn't understand how to process at 15. I had to suppress it, and I had to minimize it, just to get through the day."

Kyla Ross was just 15 years old when she won gold with the "Fierce Five" in 2012.

Ross grew up in Southern California and was close friends with teammate Maroney throughout her childhood. Ross didn't qualify for the finals in any individual events at the 2012 Olympics, but she did help the team to gold in the team all-around with strong scores on the uneven bars and the beam.

She continued competing with UCLA gymnastics until 2020, then joined the program as an assistant coach.

In 2020, Ross was named Pac-12 Gymnast of the Year for the second consecutive year after finishing the season undefeated in the all-around after eight appearances. When she's not coaching UCLA gymnasts, she's working on her degree in molecular, cell and developmental biology.

At 16, Laurie Hernandez was the youngest of the "Final Five" at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

In addition to the team gold medal, Hernandez won silver in the individual balance beam finals.

Hernandez is commentating for NBC's streaming service Peacock at the Tokyo Olympics, and she has amassed a sizable following on TikTok.

Hernandez won "Dancing with the Stars" shortly after the 2016 Olympics and appeared on TV shows such as "American Ninja Warrior Junior," "Celebrity Family Feud," and "Sesame Street." She posted on TikTok that she's planning to study acting in college next year.

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