CHICAGO — Dianne Durham, the first Black woman to win a USA Gymnastics national championship and a trailblazer in the sport, died Thursday in Chicago, her husband said. She was 52.

>> Read more trending news

Durham’s husband, Tom Drahozal, said she died after a short illness, ESPN reported. Durham died in a Chicago hospital with her husband and her sister, Alice Durham, at her side, the sports network reported.

“She passed peacefully,” Drahozal told ESPN. “She was the love of my life and everything I could have asked for. She was as beautiful a person away from gymnastics as she was within the sport.”

Durham won the 1983 national championships, capturing the all-around title en route to gold medals in the balance beam, floor exercise and vault and a silver medal in the uneven bars, USA Gymnastics stated in a news release.

“We are heartbroken to learn of Dianne’s passing,” USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung said in a statement. “As an icon and trailblazer in our sport, Dianne opened doors for generations of gymnasts who came after her, and her legacy carries on each day in gyms across the country. Our thoughts are with her friends and family during this difficult time.”

Durham was the last gymnast to defeat Mary Lou Retton in the all-around competition in the months leading up to the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, ESPN reported. Durham was unable to compete in the Games due to a combination of injuries and politics, the sports network reported.

“I think between her and Mary Lou Retton, they felt they introduced more of a power gymnastics,” Drahozal told The Associated Press. “Dianne was a pioneer for Black gymnasts as well ... She paved the way for others.”

Durham missed the 1983 world championships and was sixth after the first day of the 1984 Olympic trials, according to the AP. An ankle injury on vault -- her signature event -- led her coach, Bela Karolyi, to scratch her from the uneven bars. The confusion resulted in Durham missing an opportunity to be on the Olympic team.

Durham, who grew up in Gary, Indiana, said she never thought about her trailblazing victory in 1983.

“People said, you’re the first Black -- I’m using ‘Black’ because ‘African American’ wasn’t a term in my era -- national champion. Do you know that didn’t go through my head one time?” Durham told ESPN in 2020. “Not one time. Do you know how many people had to tell me that? I could not understand why that was such a humongous deal.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 175

Alan Lancaster Alan Lancaster, a founding member of the 1960s band Status Quo, died Sept. 26. He was 72. ( C Brandon/Redferns via Getty Images)

Cox Media Group