Three decades after helping lead the United States to Olympic gold, legendary gymnast Dominique Dawes is bringing her passion for the sport to metro Atlanta with the opening of a new training facility in Alpharetta.
Dawes, who rose to national fame during the 1996 Summer Olympics as a member of the celebrated “Magnificent Seven,” recently opened the Dominique Dawes Academy, a 20,000-square-foot gymnastics facility designed to introduce young athletes to the sport and promote active lifestyles.
The academy hosted a free open house from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and is scheduled to officially begin classes Monday, March 9, 2026, according to reporting from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dawes made history in Atlanta when the U.S. women’s gymnastics team captured its first-ever team gold medal in the all-around competition at the 1996 Games. The team—nicknamed the “Magnificent Seven”—became one of the most iconic groups in Olympic history…