Cathleen Roxanne Rigby (born December 12, 1952) was known as Cathy Rigby…who is an actress, speaker, and former artistic gymnast….where her performance in the 1968 Mexico Olympics helped to popularize the sport of gymnastics in the United States.
Cathy Rigby was the highest-scoring American gymnast at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics….which helped her become a favorite with American television audiences….thus helping to popularize gymnastics in America. She was the U.S. national champion in 1970 and 1972….and became the first American woman to win a medal at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships…. the silver medal on the balance beam at the 1970 Championships….as seen in this video herewith….as Rigby went on to compete at the 1972 Munich Olympics….but was hampered by injury prior to the Games…and did not win a medal. She retired from gymnastics after the 1972 Olympics.
In this lil ole chiweenie Sportsphile’s opinion….having sports casting legend Jim McKay pay tribute and introduce this video….makes it even more special in our awesome treasure chest of vintage memories.
