Dominique Dawes

Dominique Dawes Profile

Championship athlete, Dominique Dawes is best known for her role in “The Magnificent Seven,” the 1996 Olympic gold medal-winning American women’s gymnastic team, which to this day is still remembered as the best women’s team in U.S. gymnastics history. Dawes was also the first African American female to ever qualify for the Olympics via trials.

Dawes began her career at age six when she signed up for a tumbling class; however when she arrived to find out that the class had been cancelled, someone at the center referred her parents to a local gymnastics club, Hill’s Angels. Dawes signed up for classes with Kelli Hill, the club’s coach and owner, who became her mentor in gymnastics (and life) for the entirety of her 18-year-long career.

Under Hill’s guidance and training, Dawes won more National Championship medals than any other athlete, male or female, since 1963, as well as numerous World Championship medals. She became the first African American gymnast to win an individual medal and the only female American gymnast who has been a part of three Olympic medal-winning gymnastic teams. (1992, 1996, and 2000.)

Aside from being a natural athlete, Dawes is also a natural speaker, having inspired thousands of audiences with her personal story of struggles, setbacks, and successes. Her character is as strong as her presence on the gymnastics floor and today she is using it to lead and motivate youth to make healthy choices and follow their dreams. Aside from hosting one-day gymnastics clinics across the country, she advocates several causes including boosting self-esteem in girls and raising autism awareness.

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  From Olympic Gold Medalist to Broadway to television analyst to President of the Women’s Sports Foundation, Dominique Dawes continues on a path to inspire, motivate and lead.

   

  • Dominique Dawes is best known for her tremendous success as an Olympic gymnast who competed in three Olympic Games, won three medals and has a permanent place in the U.S. Olympic Committee Hall of Fame. Fans across the nation and around the world remember her as a member of the gold-medal-winning “Magnificent Seven” at the 1996 Atlanta Games, where she also won a bronze medal as she wowed the crowed with her stunning performance in the floor exercise, becoming the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual medal. She also earned a bronze medal with the U.S. team in the 1992 Barcelona Games and made a surprising comeback in the 2000 Sydney Games.

  Dawes’ start in gymnastics began at the age of 6. Her first and only coach, Kelli Hill quickly realized her potential, and Dawes began competing at the age of 10. She burst into the international spotlight at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where she was the first African-American female to compete and qualify to an Olympic Games through the Olympic trials. At these Games, she and her teammates captured a bronze medal.

  Fans will recall that she was the gymnast that wowed the audience with her unique ‘up-and-back’ tumbling pass that consisted of 11 skills, spanning from one end of the floor to the other.

  “I could never hear my floor music after that tumbling pass,” Dawes recalled. “The crowd would be cheering so loud; I would just have to dance to their cheers. It was an amazing feeling.”

  Throughout her career, Dawes has won more National Championship medals than any other athlete, male or female, since 1963, as well as numerous World Championship medals. One of Dawes’ greatest feats came when she swept all four events and won the All Around title at the 1994 National Championships.

  “Winning my first national title was exciting,” Dawes said. “I was struggling for over a month each and every day of practice leading up to the Nationals. I couldn’t stay on the balance beam to save my life. My consistency and confidence were failing. I am not sure if it was the pressure of the sport getting to me, but whatever it was, it made it difficult to stay focused on my goals. One day after practice, Mrs. Norman, a parent of a teammate, took me aside and said the kindset words to me. She didn’t add pressure or give me advice; she showed me compassion. To this day, her words still resonate in my head and inspire me to stay focused whenever times get tough. I learned then that saying the right words, at the right time, can lift someone’s spirit. I aspire to offer those same kind words to those that I come in contact with.”

  Dawes is much more than a champion gymnast, though. After retiring from the sport to which she dedicated 18 years of her life, Dawes has found a new passion empowering others. She is an accomplished motivational speaker, speaking to audiences of hundreds and thousands on topics focusing on passion, leadership, teamwork, health, fitness and wellness. Dawes’ message empowers vast audiences, from corporate executives to small business owners, women’s organizations to youth service organizations, and high school to college-age students; her passion and energy is captivating and leaves a lasting effect on those she inspires.

  Since Dawes’ first passion in life was gymnastics, she continues to educate those on the grassroots level. She hosts gymnastics clinics for aspiring athletes of all ages, with a focus on fundamentals, goal-setting, and mental toughness. She has served as a spokesperson for multiple local and national campaigns dealing with causes about which she is passionate. Dawes stays involved in high-level competitive gymnastics by working as an analyst in the media, most recently traveling to China to report on the Beijing Olympics for Yahoo! Sports.