Yes, Retton was the first U.S. woman to win the all around gold medal (against a field that didn’t include the USSR). Yes, she was and is very popular. She also supported Reagan, not that I care about the political views of athletes.
She had 1 gold, 2 silver (team + vault), and two bronze (bars + vault). She also never competed in the World Championships.
In the Olympics, Biles had 4 golds (all-around, team, vault, floor) plus a bronze (beam). In five World Championships, she won 19 gold (include 5 all-around), 3 silver, and 3 bronze.
Their records aren’t particularly close. Retton pulled off one amazing victory. Biles dominated the sport from 2013 - 2019.
The difference, of course, being that Retton quit while she was ahead. All Biles will be remembered for is quitting.
I hope she decides to compete in the individual apparatus next week, I’d love to see her perform her famous vault in an Olympics.
She truly is the greatest of all time, twists or not during this meet.