Kerri Strug competed at her first meet when Strug was 8, and quickly reached higher and higher levels. At 12, Strug faced the choice of staying at Tucson or leaving to be coached by Bela Karolyi. Strug moved to Karolyi's gym in Houston in January of 1991 at the age of 13. Strug was worked 6 to 7 days a week, 8 hours a day. During her training, she lived with a series of host families far from her parents, although her aunt and uncle lived there, where she would go when she got a day off. At the 1992 Olympic Trials in June 13 at Baltimore, she made fourth slot on a six person team despite a fall during the floor exercise. Kerri helped the team win a bronze at Barcelona, but was edged out of the All-Around by Kim Zmeskal. Then disaster struck: Bela Karolyi was leaving gymnastics.

Strug set out trying to find a new coach, bouncing from one gym to another for 3 years. At a meet in Europe, Kerri tore a stomach muscle which took 6 months to heal. She went home to recuperate and finish high school. It seemed as if her gymnastics career was dying out. She continued to work out, but not nearly as strenuously. She began to strive for a normal life.

Strug decided to compete again, but a back injury that she suffered in a small California meet in August of 1994 sidelined her for another 6 months. 1995, she graduated from high school, and decided she wanted to go for the Olympics. Strug returned to Karolyi, who came out of retirement to coach Kim Zmeskal and Dominique Moceanu. She won gold in America's Cup in March of 1996, and earned second place at the 1996 Olympic Trials in Boston, giving her a spot on the Olympic Team. She was given a place in the team which gave her anchor positions on the floor exercise and vault. In this position, she performed "The Vault", that which injured her and kept her out of the individual medal run, but secured the gold medal for the 1996 Olympic Team and "vaulted" her fame to extraordinary heights. She had lost a chance at an All-Around title, but she had become a superstar.