Dominique Dawes

Born 1976

Fact

First Black woman to win Olympic gold in gymnastics

Fact

Competed in three consecutive Olympic Games

Fact

First Black gymnast to win U.S. National Championship

Dominique Dawes was a member of the legendary "Magnificent Seven" — the 1996 U.S. Women's Gymnastics team that won the first ever team gold medal for the United States at the Atlanta Olympics. She was the first Black woman to win an Olympic gold medal in gymnastics.

Dawes competed in three consecutive Olympic Games (1992, 1996, 2000) — a feat of longevity almost unheard of in women's gymnastics. She was known for her explosive tumbling passes and became the first Black gymnast to win a national championship.

After retiring, Dawes became a powerful advocate for youth fitness, co-chairing the President's Council on Fitness under Obama. She opened the Dominique Dawes Gymnastics Academy and continues to inspire the next generation of Black gymnasts.