Olympic gymnast icon Mary Lou Retton 'fighting for life': daughter

Olympic gymnastics icon Mary Lou Retton is "fighting for her life" in intensive care after being diagnosed with a rare form of pneumonia, her daughter said Tuesday.

Retton, 55, the first American woman to win the Olympic all-around gold medal when she triumphed at the 1984 Los Angeles Games, is being treated at an undisclosed hospital, her daughter McKenna Kelley said.

Kelley revealed the details about her mother's condition in a crowdfunding appeal issued through her Instagram account.

"My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life," she wrote.

"She is not able to breathe on her own. She's been in the ICU for over a week now. Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details."

Kelley's fundraising page is aiming to raise $50,000 for her mother's medical care. She revealed in the post that her mother does not have health insurance.

"Anything, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom," she wrote.

Retton became one of the faces of the 1984 Olympics for her dazzling performances that earned her the all-around gold as well as two silver medals and two bronze.

The then teenager from West Virginia clinched gold in the all-around after winning a thrilling battle with Romania's Ecaterina Szabo.

Szabo led the competition by 0.15 points after the uneven bars and balance beam, but Retton produced perfect 10s on the floor exercise and the vault to snatch victory.

Retton's win made her the first woman from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around gold.

Her gold medal-winning performance was made all the more remarkable by the fact she had suffered a knee injury before the games that required surgery.

© Agence France-Presse