One of the gymnasts that inspired me most in my life, Carol Johnston, died of complications from Early On-set Alzheimers. We trained together as kids at Altadore Gymnastics.
Julie Knight Bowse posted in Gymnastics – A Golden Era
“It is with a heavy heart that I let all of you know that Carol Johnston-Koniar [“Lefty”] passed away on Saturday, May 11, 2019 ….
Carol and I were teammates and roommates at Cal State Fullerton and remained lifelong friends. Her husband called me Saturday and asked that I inform the gymnastics community. He is grateful that she is no longer suffering.” 😥
Click PLAY or watch her Beam on Facebook.
related – Her husband Scott D. Koniar posted her medical story in the Gianna Homes newsletter in 2017.
My wife Carol Johnston Koniar was born with one arm in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. …
Her parents encouraged her to not let her one arm be a handicap. Carol grew up enjoying both ice skating and gymnastics.
Carol … received a scholarship to Cal State Fullerton.
In 1979, Disney produced a documentary short on Carol entitled The Truly Exceptional: Carol Johnston.
The documentary was turned into a feature film Lefty, which premiered across the nation as part of Disney’s Wonderful World series.
… read more (page 5)
Click PLAY or watch a Cal State Fullerton tribute on YouTube.
via Fans of Canadian Gymnastics
Gymnastics Coaching.com 
I was deeply saddened to just discover Carol’s passing. I had just been watching repeats of the 1980s NBC tv show Real People which highlighted her early gymnastic career. She was way too young to leave us and she appeared way too talented as seen as she would concur the challenges of being a single armed gymnast.
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OMG! I remember watching her in so many competitions.. She was my favorite collegiate gymnast at the time she was competing.. So much talent and so much poise… I just decided on impulse to look her up on the net to see what became of her and found this… I am so sorry! Women’s gymnastics has lost one of its unsung greats…
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