Former Olympic Gymnast McKayla Maroney Goes From Unimpressed to Best Dressed
One fifth of the Fierce Five is looking just as fierce as ever. 20-year-old McKayla Maroney has had a total transformation since her time on the 2012 U.S. women’s gymnastics team, when she not only earned two…
One fifth of the Fierce Five is looking just as fierce as ever.
20-year-old McKayla Maroney has had a total transformation since her time on the 2012 U.S. women’s gymnastics team, when she not only earned two medals but became the world’s favorite meme.
Maroney was only 16 when she won an individual silver medal in the vault event as well as gold with the U.S. team. In 2016, however, she made the very difficult decision to retire from competitive gymnastics for health reasons.
In an interview with Us Weekly, the athlete explained her reasoning and the life-altering transition she underwent:
“I lost myself. It was an identity crisis, no doubt,” she said. “I would go and meet people and they’d tell me, ‘You’re the gymnast.’ And I’m like, now that I’m no longer a competing gymnast, it throws people off and that would throw me off. I don’t want to let people down. It was such a big test for me to be like, you know what? No! I’m worth more than a gold medal. I’m worth more than being a gymnast. I am not what I do. I am who I am and I’m what I love.”
But outwardly, Maroney seems like she’s doing very well.
Especially when she’s drinking green smoothies…
…when she’s rocking colorful skirt sets during big interviews…
…and definitely when she’s attending high-profile awards shows.
As a matter of fact, Maroney’s newest passion project will come as a surprise to many: She’s making pop music.
In July, she announced she’d been pursuing a career in music to her one million followers:
“Sending love to all one million of you,” she wrote. “Also, I haven’t talked about it much, (mainly cuz people wouldn’t take me seriously) but for the last year I’ve dedicated all my time to writing/making music, and I can finally officially say that I’ve got some cool stuff on the way for u guys!! Hope u like dancing.”
Her first song “Ghost” will be available September 8.
We’re wishing this beauty all the best, but in our hearts, she’ll always be so tastefully unimpressed.
