She won a gold medal at the 1996 summer Olympics as part of the U.S. women’s gymnastics team dubbed the Magnificent Seven, and in the process she won the hearts of millions-—now she’s all grown up and has a new husband. According to news reports, Dominique Moceanu wed longtime boyfriend, Michael Canales in her hometown of Houston on Saturday afternoon.
According to a local newspaper, the wedding was an Olympic gymnastics reunion of sorts. Three of Moceanu’s Olympic teammates– Amanda Borden, Dominique Dawes and Kerri Strug joined some 175 other wedding guests, including Olympic greats Paul and Morgan Hamm, Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci. (Ironically, in the months leading up to the 1996 summer Olympics many compared Moceanu to a young Nadia—both were coached by legendary Romanian coach Bela Karolyi.)
According to PEOPLE magazine, 25-year-old Moceanu and her 29-year-old husband, a former nationally ranked collegiate gymnast who is now a resident in podiatric surgery in Cleveland, started dating in 2001. Canales publicly supported Moceanu in 1998 when she made headlines for going to court to become legally emancipated from her parents in a dispute over control of her finances. Years later the family reconciled, and according to news reports, Moceanu’s father beamed as he escorted his daughter down the aisle on Saturday. In addition, the magazine reports that Conner and Comaneci (who married ten years ago) served as honorary godparents for the newlyweds.
PEOPLE magazine reports that Moceanu wore an off-the-rack strapless satin dress from Oleg Cassini, while her bridesmaids were dressed in plum-colored satin sheaths and stoles. The couple is now honeymooning in the Caribbean.
I happened to be working in Atlanta during the 1996 summer Olympics and had the chance to watch Moceanu compete and later had the opportunity to meet her at a press event following the completion of her events. Back then she was 15-years-old and barely came up to my chest. She was weighed down by her Olympic medals and seemed shell-shocked by the extensive media coverage. Now she’s married… and I feel so old. I hope she finds a lifetime of happiness out of the media spotlight.