Controversial U.S. Olympic hero busted for DUI

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America’s Sweetheart is making headlines again – but for the wrong reasons.

U.S. Olympic hero Mary Lou Retton was busted earlier this month in West Virginia on a DUI rap.

The gold-medal-winning gymnast was arrested on May 17 in Marion County, W. Va. for “driving under influence of alcohol, controlled substances, or drugs,” according to records posted by the West Virginia Magistrate Court system.

According to TMZ, the documents state that Retton initially was stopped by police after she allegedly had been driving her grey Porsche “all over the roadway.”

While she was being questioned, officers claimed Retton reeked of booze and slurred her words. During all of the field sobriety testing, she allegedly showed signs of impairment and, after cops said she refused blood alcohol content tests, Retton was placed in custody.

The report also noted that the 57-year-old retired gymnast had a container of wine in her passenger seat.

Retton is now facing one misdemeanor count of DUI. She posted $1,500 bond the same day of her arrest.

The former athlete has not yet publicly commented on the matter.

Retton became an American hero at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, where she captured five medals in gymnastics including the country’s first-ever gold in the all-around competition.

She also won two silvers and two bronze medals at the Games and was named Sportsperson of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1984.

Retton began to make headlines in late 2023 when her daughters revealed the gymnastics great was battling a rare form of pneumonia, which landed her in the ICU.

She was hospitalized in October 2023 after a neighbour found her laying on her bedroom floor, struggling to breathe.

She was admitted to the ICU and her four daughters feared for the worst – even saying their goodbyes – before Retton made her recovery from the illness.

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During an interview with Today in early 2024, she opened up about her health scare.

“I am so grateful to be here. I am blessed to be here, because there was a time when they were about to put me on life support,” she said.

At the time, Retton’s family started a crowdfunding to help pay for her treatment, raising a whopping US$459,324.

But the fundraising later came under fire after the family refused to disclose how they were spending the large amount of public donations they received following Retton’s recovery.

The family also would not reveal how much their mother’s final medical bill was and if they planned on donating some of the remaining money to charity.