Here's what former gymnast Kerri Strug has been up to since she stuck the unforgettable vault that won her team the 1996 Olympic gold

John Gaps III/AP Images

Coach Béla Károlyi carries Kerri Strug to the podium.

Former gymnast Kerri Strug's 1996 Olympic feat - landing on an injured ankle to clinch the first ever team gold medal for the US women's team - has gone down as one of the most memorable moments in the history of the games.

Her bold move came in the final rotation of team competition in the Atlanta Games. The Americans were on the vault, with a commanding lead over the Russians.

That's when things started to fall apart. The first four American vaulters had sloppy landings. Then, teammate Dominique Moceanu fell twice in a row.

Strug was up last. On her first vault, she fell too, tearing two ligaments in her ankle. She limped back to speak with her coach, Béla Károlyi. According to ESPN, he told her, "Kerri, we need you to go one more time. We need you one more time for the gold."

Strug sprinted down the runway and made her second jump - landing on both feet. She even managed to salute the judges before she collapsed and had to be carried off. During the medal ceremony, Károlyi famously carried her to podium.

Later on, it turned out that the Russians' performance on the floor exercise would have led to an American win anyway. Still, Strug's jump was what the Americans needed to clinch the gold for certain.

The gut-wrenching vault catapulted Strug to sports stardom, as The Washington Post reported - Strug met with then President Bill Clinton, appeared on a Wheaties box, graced a Sports Illustrated cover, and landed plenty of sponsorship deals.

Strug didn't rest on her Olympic laurels, though. Here's more about Strug's life leading up to that unforgettable Olympic moment - and what she's been up to since.