Show Notes: www.juliefoucher.com/podcast
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In this episode, I sit down with Olympic gold medal winning gymnast and youngest member of the Magnificant Seven, Dominique Moceanu. Dominique was born to Romanian immigrants and after showing promise as a gymnast from a young age her family moved to Houston, TX so that she could train with renowned coaches Béla and Márta Károlyi. She went on to have an incredible career ultimately achieving her dream of becoming an Olympic champion in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta with her team. Despite her success, she endured tremendous instability and abuse in both her training and home environments throughout her career. She eventually sought emancipation from her parents to recover lost earnings from her career as an elite gymnast, and it wasn't until her relationship with her now-husband Dr. Mike Canales developed that she started to process the mistreatment she had endured and begin the path to healing. Another surprise came in 2007 with the discovery of her long-lost sister Jen Bricker who was born with no legs and who her father had given up for adoption after her birth. Today, Dominique lives in Cleveland with her husband Mike and their two children Carmen and Vincent. She reconciled with her father prior to his passing, and she works to catalyze change in gymnastics so that future generations will experience a training environment that is both safe and healthy.
I was lucky to work with Dominique and Mike on my gymnastics and get to know both of them while training for the 2014 CrossFit Games, and I spoke with Mike in Episode 2 of Pursuing Health shortly after he repaired the torn Achilles tendon I sustained at the 2015 CrossFit Games Regionals. I've heard various aspects of Dominique's story from her over the past few years and read her memoir, and each time I am blown away by the strength and resilience she displayed from such a young age. I was so excited to finally sit down with her to share some of her story with you, and also to hear her shed some light on the recent 2016 Olympics and how gymnastics has evolved over the past 20-plus years from her vantage point.