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CHRISTY HENRICH
Christina Renee Henrich ("Christy") (born July 18, 1972; died July 26, 1994) was a world-class American gymnast.
Training with Al Fong at the Great American Gymnastics Express club in Blue Springs, Missouri, Henrich made the U.S. national gymnastics
team in 1986 after placing fifth all-around int he junior division at the U.S. National Championships. She continued to climb through the
elite ranks over the next four years, placing ninth at the 1988 Olympic Trials and winning the silver medal in the all-around at the 1989 U.S.
National Championships. She represented the United States at the 1989 World Championships in Stuttgart, placing fourth with the American
team and just missing a medal in the uneven bars final. One of Henrich's original balance beam leaps was named after her in the Code of
Points; as of 2007 the skill is still included in the Code and carries a "C" difficulty rating.
While Henrich was succeeding in gymnastics, her health was beginning to suffer from an eating disorder. In 1989, while competing in an
international meet, a judge told her she needed to lose weight. Apparently, Henrich took the comment to heart. Her drive to lose a few
pounds progressed to unhealthy eating habits and, eventually, full-blown anorexia nervosa. The eating disorder was fueled further by the
culture of elite gymnastics — which, in the late 80s and early 90s was ruled by "pixies," i.e., small, underweight, prepubescent girls —
and Henrich's own coaches, who allegedly made insulting remarks about her size and body type. At first, neither her family nor her coaches
were aware of the situation.
Eventually, Henrich's battle with anorexia took such a toll on her health that she was asked to leave the gym. Her weight dropped
dangerously low, and her family intervened and compelled her to enter hospital treatment for her eating disorder. In spite of numerous
treatments and periods of recovery, Henrich died of multiple organ failure at the age of 22.
Henrich's death brought the problem of eating disorders in women's gymnastics into the spotlight. Prominent gymnasts such as
Kathy Johnson and Cathy Rigby admitted their bouts with anorexia and bulimia; and other U.S.
National Team gymnasts stepped forward and went public about their own eating disorders.
The focus on gymnast wellness was addressed with several programs on both the national and international levels, such as educational
videos, nutrition counseling and classes, to varying degrees of success.
Additionally, American television channels broadcasting gymnastics competitions, such as NBC-TV and ABC-TV, stopped commenting about
or listing gymnasts' weights in captions in the mid-1990s. Television stations from other nations have adopted similar policies.
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