Editing Dominique Dawes (section)

===1992–1995===
She placed 4th at the 1992 Olympic trials and was awarded a place on the United States Olympic team.<ref name=usagbio /> Despite battling very painful tendinitis in both ankles and [[Osgood-Schlatter disease]] during pre-Olympic training,<ref name=lgipb>{{cite book |last=Ryan |first=Joan |title=Little Girls in Pretty Boxes |publisher=Doubleday |location=Garden City |year=1995 |isbn=978-0-385-47790-1 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/littlegirlsinpre00ryan}}</ref> Dawes performed respectably throughout the competition, even having the boldness to try a brand-new move in her [[balance beam]] routine during team competition - [[Handspring (gymnastics)|back handspring]] to three layout stepouts. She also won over the crowd with a solid optional [[floor exercise]] routine and, with a mark of 9.925, tied with [[Kim Zmeskal]] for the highest score for the American team on the event.<ref>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/Results/Olympics/1992_Barcelona/1992_women_team_1-3.html Scores by gymnast for the 1992 Olympics team competition] Gymn-Forum</ref> The team won bronze, and Dawes and teammate [[Betty Okino]] became the first African American females to win an Olympic medal in gymnastics.

Dawes only competed in the team competition in 1992, not breaking through as an all-around gymnast until 1993. She is probably best known for her performances at the 1993 and 1994 World Championships. In 1993, Dawes led the competition after three events, even beating her more famous teammate [[Shannon Miller]]. However, she decided to try her harder vault (1½ twisting layout Yurchenko) worth a 10.00 instead of simply a full-twisting layout [[Yurchenko (vault)|Yurchenko]], which had been devalued to a 9.8. She made the first vault, but slipped and fell on the second, immediately bursting into tears. With the new rule that both vaults were averaged in all-around competition, her fall dropped her to 4th overall while Miller won the title.<ref name=nyt1 /><ref>{{cite news |title=Dominique Dawes wins 2 silver medals during World Gymnastic events |magazine=[[Jet (magazine)|Jet]] |date=May 17, 1993 |page=49 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DLsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA49}}</ref> Famously, after the vault fall Dawes's coach Kelli Hill exhorted her to be proud of her performance anyway, stating: "When did you ever think you would be in that position? You have to be happy with yourself. Come on. Be happy. Stand up and wave". Dawes did so and earned a standing ovation from the crowd.<ref>Eurosport coverage of the 1993 World Championships</ref> After this disappointment she rebounded in the event finals, winning two silver medals on bars and beam.<ref name=usagbio />

The same fate befell her in at the [[1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1994 Worlds]]. Leading after three events, she again came to vault with a chance of winning the title. This time her mistake came on the first vault where Dawes over-rotated and hurled forward into a somersault. Her low score dropped her to 5th. Her mistakes continued throughout the event finals and left the championships without winning a single medal.

Dawes would finish her year on a positive note, however. She dominated the [[USA Gymnastics National Championships|National Championships]] placing first in the all-around and all four event finals at the expense of rival Shannon Miller. It was the first year since 1969 that a gymnast had swept the competition.<ref name=ebony>{{cite news |title=3 for the future |work=[[Ebony (magazine)|Ebony]] |date=May 1995 |pages=80–84 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JnOSQ7xrcA8C&pg=PA80}}</ref><ref name=sweeps>{{cite news |title=Dominique Dawes sweeps each event at National Gymnastics Championships |work=Jet |date=September 12, 1994 |page=52 |publisher=Johnson Publishing Company |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7sEDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52}}</ref> She went on to lead the American team to a silver medal at the [[1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships (Team)|World Team Championships]] in [[Dortmund]], [[Germany]] posting the third highest all-around score in the process.