What is Dominique Dawes' Net Worth?
Dominique Dawes is a retired American artistic gymnast who has a net worth of $2.5 million. Dominique Dawes was a member of the US national gymnastics team from 1989 to 1998, and again in 2000. She won medals at multiple Olympics and World Championships, including the gold medal as part of the "Magnificent Seven" team at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. Among her other laurels, Dawes was the US all-around senior National Champion in 1994. Since retiring from competition, she has served as the President of the Women's Sport Federation, and as a commentator for multiple gymnastics events, including the London 2012 Olympics.
Early Life and Education
Dominique Dawes was born on November 20, 1976 in Silver Spring, Maryland to Loretta and Don. When she was six, she began participating in gymnastics under coach Kelli Hill; at the age of nine, she won her first competition. As a teenager, Dawes went to Montgomery Blair High School and Gaithersburg High School. She went on to attend the University of Maryland, College Park, from which she graduated in 2002.
Junior Gymnastics Career
By the time she was ten, Dawes was competing in gymnastics as a junior elite. In 1988, she competed in her first US National Championships, where she finished 17th in the all-around junior division. The following year, Dawes competed in her first international meet, the Konica Grand Prix in Australia. She continued to improve over the years, coming in third at the 1990 US National Championships.
1992 Summer Olympics
Dawes made her Olympic debut in 1992 at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. Although she was struggling with tendinitis in both of her ankles, she managed to turn in solid performances throughout the competition, helping the US women's team win bronze. In the process, both Dawes and teammate Betty Okino became the first black women to win gymnastics medals at the Olympics.
World Championships, 1993-1994
Dawes broke out in a big way at the 1993 World Championships, where she led the all-around competition after three events. Although she slipped up on the fourth event, the vault, putting her out of all-around medal contention, Dawes rebounded to win silver medals on bars and beam. At the 1994 World Championships, she virtually repeated her 1993 performance; however, she ultimately came away without a medal.
US National Champion
Following her disappointing performance at the 1994 World Championships, Dawes ended her year on a high note by dominating the National Championships. She swept the competition by coming in first in both the all-around and all four event finals, becoming the first gymnast to do so in 25 years. Dawes continued her success by leading the US team to a silver medal at the World Team Championships. In 1996, she once again swept all four event finals at the National Championships.
1996 Summer Olympics
Dawes had her best Olympic Games in 1996 in Atlanta, where she competed as part of the team dubbed the "Magnificent Seven." Along with fellow members Shannon Miller, Dominique Moceanu, Amy Chow, Jaycie Phelps, Kerri Strug, and Amanda Borden, she won the gold medal in the team event. Although she was unable to match this success in the all-around competition, Dawes took home a bronze on floor, her first international medal in what was often considered her best event.
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2000 Summer Olympics
After the 1996 Olympics, Dawes withdrew from elite gymnastics competitions. She made a brief return in 1998 for the Goodwill Games, but otherwise only participated in professional meets. Dawes came back in 2000 for her third and final Summer Olympics, in Sydney. There, the US team ended up winning bronze after China was stripped of its medal for having an underage athlete.
Post-Gymnastics Career
Dawes ventured into acting, modeling, and public policy following the end of her gymnastics career. As an actress, she appeared in the music videos to Prince's "Betcha By Golly Wow" and Missy Elliott's "We Run This"; she also made a brief appearance in a Broadway revival of the musical "Grease." Meanwhile, in her advocacy work, Dawes was the president of the Women's Sports Foundation from 2004 to 2006, and was named co-chair of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition under President Obama in 2010. Additionally, she has worked with such organizations as Girl Scouts of the USA and Sesame Workshop. Because her younger brother is autistic, Dawes has also campaigned to raise awareness of the condition.
Personal Life
In 2013, Dawes married educator Jeff Thompson. Together, they have four children: Kateri and Quinn and twins Dakota and Lincoln.
