Oklahomans in the Olympics: Shannon Miller reflects on 1992, 1996 experience

The Edmond native walked into the arena and took a long look around and found two American soldiers holding an American flag.

“It was kind of that moment in time that you remember, ‘OK, set your fears aside, set your anxiety aside and the pressure aside because this is what you're here for,' ” Miller said. “You're here to represent the United States, and that's what this is all about.”

Miller said the rest of the experiences, the individual apparatus and the competition itself blurred together after that moment.

“I kind of remember being a deer in the headlights, just having fun and not really understanding what to expect,” Miller said.

When the meet finished, she'd collected two silver medals and three bronze at the Games. She followed the '92 Olympics with gold medal-winning performances in the 1993 and 1994 World Championships, which helped prepare her for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, where she was a member of the famed Magnificent 7 women's gymnastics team.