A three-time United States national all-around champion (1990–92), Zmeskal was also the 1992 world champion on both balance beam and floor exercise, and was a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. team at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain, the first U.S. team medal won at a fully attended Olympic Games.

Known for her explosive power and tumbling on vault and floor, Zmeskal is regarded as one of the greatest female gymnasts and arguably the best in the world during the early 1990s.

[4] She also took first place in the American Classic, the Swiss Cup Mixed Pairs (with Lance Ringnald), and the Arthur Gander Memorial.

Later that year in Denver, she won her first U.S. Senior National All-Around title, more than four-tenths of a point ahead of her friend and training partner Betty Okino.

She also won silver on bars (tied with two other gymnasts), balance beam, and floor exercise in the event finals.

Zmeskal was unable to defend her American Cup title, losing to Okino by a margin of just .225 points, but won the event finals for beam and floor.

Despite being picked as the clear-cut favorite for the all-around title and multiple gold medals, Zmeskal's Olympics began poorly as she fell off the balance beam during her compulsory routine on the first night of competition.

“I've learned that you don't have to win first place to win” is how Zmeskal reflected upon her Olympic experience, recognizing her performance during the Team Final (in which no individual medals were awarded) as her greatest athletic achievement- overcoming a sizeable score deficit due to a compulsory beam fall as well as an injured tibia to qualify to the 1992 Olympic All Around final.

Any dreams for a comeback to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games were dashed after a slow recovery due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her right knee suffered during a floor exercise exhibition in Worcester, MA.

However, a ruptured right achilles tendon in July 1999, followed by a torn calf muscle in the same leg while taking off for a double tuck, ended her career in January 2000.

[12] Per Chris Burdette's Linkedin page, in June 2019, the couple split with Kim taking full ownership of Texas Dreams in March 2022.

Former gymnast Kennedy Baker wrote about her experiences in an open letter,My senior year, I knew my [Achilles] was going to tear, ...