ROCKVILLE, Maryland — Thirty years ago this summer, Dominique Dawes beamed atop an Olympic podium in Atlanta, clutching a bouquet and waving to the crowd that had packed inside the Georgia Dome. Minutes later, she placed a hand over her heart as the national anthem played.
She was celebrating a first: The 19-year-old from Maryland had just helped the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to win a gold medal, a feat that had never been achieved before.
Dawes also became the first Black American woman to take home an individual Olympic medal in the sport. She and her “Magnificent Seven” teammates soon appeared on a box of Wheaties, a staple of kitchens across the country and another sign that Dawes had been immortalized in gymnastics lore…