Henrich, Christy (1973–1994)

American gymnast. Born in Independence, Missouri, in 1973; died of bulimia and anorexia nervosa on July 26, 1994; daughter of Paul (a gas station owner) and Sandy Henrich.

Christy Henrich was one of America's more promising gymnasts of the 1980s. In June 1986, at age 13, she was 5th in all-around at the National Junior championship; she finished 10th in 1988 at the Senior Nationals. But Henrich became a lamented symbol of the Peter Pan principle that in order to win, gymnasts must remain tiny and never grow up. According to an American College of Sports Medicine study undertaken in 1992, 62% of females in sports, such as figure skating and gymnastics, have eating disorders; 3 to 6% end in death.

The average size of a gymnast who wants to compete at the top level has been declining over the years. In 1976, female gymnasts averaged 5′3″, 105 lbs. In 1992, the average was 4′9", 88 lbs. The ideal is not necessarily self-induced. Most agree that Henrich's turning point came in March 1988 at a meet in Budapest, Hungary, when a U.S. judge warned her that she was too fat and needed to lose weight to make the Olympic squad. Over the ensuing months, Henrich lost several pounds, bringing her weight down to 90. When she failed to make the 1988 Olympic team by 0.118th of a point, her eating problem escalated; she was forced to retire from sports in January 1991. "My life is a horrifying nightmare," she told a reporter. "It feels like there's a beast inside of me." In 1994, Henrich died of multiple organ failure after her weight plummeted to 47 pounds. Fellow sufferers include gymnasts Kathy Johnson, Cathy Rigby , and Nadia Comaneci .

sources:

"Dying for a Medal," in People Weekly. August 22, 1994, pp. 36–39.