History of McKayla Maroney in Timeline
"McKayla Rose Maroney is a retired American artistic gymnast best known for her achievements with the "Fierce Five," the U.S. women's gymnastics team that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Maroney contributed a gold medal in the team event and a silver in the individual vault. Her dominance in the vault extended to the World Championships, where she earned gold medals in 2011 and 2013, making her the first American woman to achieve consecutive World Championship titles in the event.
December 9, 1995: Birth of McKayla Maroney
McKayla Rose Maroney was born on December 9, 1995.
2004: First Olympic Memory
McKayla Maroney's first Olympic memory was watching Carly Patterson compete at the 2004 Olympic Trials.
2010: Pan American Gymnastics Championships
McKayla Maroney competed at the 2010 Pan American Gymnastics Championships in Guadalajara, Mexico. She helped the American team secure first place and won gold in both the vault and floor finals.
2011: World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
McKayla Maroney competed at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, where she won gold with the American team and in the vault final.
2011: World Championship Victory
McKayla Maroney was a member of the American team that won gold at the 2011 World Championships. She also won gold medals in the team and vault competitions.
July 18, 2012: Sports Illustrated Cover
McKayla Maroney and the rest of the USA Women's Olympic Gymnastics team were featured on the cover of the July 18, 2012, issue of Sports Illustrated's "Olympic Preview", marking the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team was featured on the cover.
September 13, 2012: Surgery for Fractured Tibia
On September 13, 2012, McKayla Maroney underwent surgery to repair a fractured tibia in her left leg, which she sustained during a Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions event.
September 2012: Fractured Tibia
McKayla Maroney fractured her tibia in September 2012 after an uneven bars dismount at the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions in Ontario, California.
October 4, 2012: Return to Kellogg's Tour
McKayla Maroney returned to The Kellogg's Tour on October 4, 2012, in Oklahoma City, after recovering from a fractured tibia.
November 2012: Meeting President Obama
McKayla Maroney and the rest of the U.S. Gymnastics team met with President Barack Obama at the White House in November 2012.
November 20, 2012: Acting Debut in "Hart of Dixie"
McKayla Maroney made her acting debut on November 20, 2012, in The CW's television series "Hart of Dixie." She played the role of Tonya, a friend of Rose, in the episode "Baby, Don't Get Hooked on Me." This appearance led to a recurring role, with Maroney featuring in six episodes.
2012: McKayla Maroney's Olympic Success
McKayla Maroney was part of the Fierce Five, the American women's gymnastics team that won gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics. Maroney also won an individual silver medal in the vault event at the 2012 Olympics.
2012: Post-Olympic Health Issues
McKayla Maroney, in her February 24, 2016 announcement, opened up about her health challenges following the 2012 Olympic Games.
2012: Previous Olympics Participation
McKayla Maroney had previously participated in the 2012 Olympics, marking July 2013 as her return to gymnastics since then.
2012: Olympic Trials
McKayla Maroney competed in the Olympic Trials in San Jose, California. Despite some struggles, she secured a spot on the 2012 Olympic team.
2012: Competing with an Injury
During training for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, McKayla Maroney aggravated a previous bone break in her right toe, but continued to compete in the vault event.
2012: Moving to a New Gym
At the age of 17, McKayla Maroney decided to move to a new gym to pursue her Olympic dreams.
2012: "Not Impressed" Meme
A photograph of McKayla Maroney making a "not impressed" expression after winning silver at the 2012 Olympics went viral and became an internet meme.
January 12, 2013: Miss America Pageant Judge
On January 12, 2013, McKayla Maroney served as a judge for the Miss America pageant.
July 2013: Return to Gymnastics at the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic
In July 2013, McKayla Maroney returned to gymnastics after the 2012 Olympics, competing in the 2013 Secret U.S. Classic. She achieved first place on vault and third place on floor, expressing her hopes to enhance her routines for the 2016 Olympics.
December 2013: Guest Appearance on "Bones"
In December 2013, McKayla Maroney made a guest appearance on the Fox TV show "Bones." She played the character Ellie, a gymnast suspected in the murder of a fellow gymnast, in the episode "The Spark in the Park" (season 9).
2013: Impact of 2013 World Championships
McKayla Maroney's struggles with adrenal fatigue, as revealed in March 2015, stemmed from her experiences following the 2013 World Championships.
2013: World Championship Defense
McKayla Maroney won the gold medal on vault at the 2013 World Championships, making her the first U.S. female gymnast to defend a World Championship vault title.
2013: 2013 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
In 2013, McKayla Maroney participated in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Despite facing setbacks due to technicalities and the two-per-country rule, she successfully defended her title on vault, becoming the first American woman to do so, marking this as her last competitive routine.
2013: Adidas Gymnastics Sponsorship
McKayla Maroney signed a sponsorship agreement with Adidas Gymnastics in 2013.
March 2014: Knee Surgery and Media Appearances
McKayla Maroney underwent knee surgery in March 2014. During this time, she was featured on the cover of Inside Gymnastics' April issue and expressed her desire to upgrade her vaults in International Gymnast Magazine.
August 31, 2014: Celebrity Photo Leaks
On August 31, 2014, underage nude images of McKayla Maroney were leaked as part of the 2014 celebrity photo leaks.
March 2015: Adrenal Fatigue Struggles
In March 2015, McKayla Maroney revealed in a YouTube video that she faced struggles with adrenal fatigue following the 2013 World Championships.
February 24, 2016: Retirement from Gymnastics
On February 24, 2016, McKayla Maroney announced her retirement from competitive gymnastics in an interview with GymCastic. This announcement came shortly after her fellow "Fierce Five" teammate, Kyla Ross, also retired.
August 19, 2016: Appearance on "Superstore"
On August 19, 2016, McKayla Maroney made an appearance as herself in season 2, episode 1 of NBC's "Superstore." The episode, titled "The Olympics," featured Maroney in several cameos alongside fellow Olympians Tara Lipinski and Apolo Ohno.
November 2016: Larry Nassar's Arrest
Larry Nassar, the USA Gymnastics team physician accused by McKayla Maroney of sexual abuse, had been arrested in November 2016 for alleged sexual assault against minors.
2016: Retirement from Gymnastics
McKayla Maroney retired from competitive gymnastics in 2016.
2016: Aspirations for the 2016 Olympics
Following her return to gymnastics in July 2013, McKayla Maroney set her sights on improving her routines for a potential appearance at the 2016 Olympics.
2016: Singing Debut Announcement
During the summer of 2016, McKayla Maroney shared her plans to debut as a singer with a single titled "Ghost."
October 18, 2017: Sexual Abuse Allegations Against Larry Nassar
On October 18, 2017, using the #MeToo hashtag on Twitter, McKayla Maroney accused USA Gymnastics team physician Larry Nassar of sexual abuse. She alleged that the abuse began when she was 13 and continued until her retirement in 2016. This revelation followed Nassar's arrest in November 2016 for accusations of sexual assault against minors.
December 2017: Lawsuit and Confidentiality Agreement
In December 2017, McKayla Maroney filed a lawsuit against Larry Nassar, Michigan State University, the United States Olympic Committee, and USA Gymnastics. She accused the latter two organizations of covering up the sexual abuse by asking her to sign a $1.25 million confidentiality agreement, which she accepted. During Nassar's sentencing hearing, USA Gymnastics waived the agreement, allowing Maroney to provide a victim impact statement. Nassar was subsequently sentenced to 40-175 years in prison.
May 16, 2018: Arthur Ashe Courage Award
On May 16, 2018, it was announced that McKayla Maroney, along with other victims of Larry Nassar including Simone Biles, would be honored with the Arthur Ashe Courage Award.
2019: Death of Mike Maroney
McKayla Maroney's father, Mike Maroney, passed away in 2019.
March 7, 2020: Music Releases
On March 7, 2020, McKayla Maroney released her debut single, "Wake Up Call." A few weeks later, she followed up with her second single, "Covid Lockdown."
2021: Revealing the Truth About Her Injury
In 2021, McKayla Maroney revealed that her toe injury from the 2012 Olympics was actually a broken foot and accused team doctor Larry Nassar of lying about the severity of the injury.
2021: GEICO Commercials
McKayla Maroney appeared in a series of GEICO television commercials in 2021.
2021: Geico Commercial
McKayla Maroney starred in a Geico commercial in 2021, which poked fun at her "not impressed" meme.