Aly Raisman

Alexandra Rose Raisman is a retired American artistic gymnast. She is one of the most successful gymnasts in United States history. Raisman earned a total of six Olympic medals during her career. This achievement makes her the third-most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history. She sits behind only Shannon Miller and Simone Biles in total medals. Raisman was known for her leadership and her skill in several different events.

Gymnastics requires incredible strength and precise movement on various apparatuses. Raisman competed in the all-around, which means she performed on every piece of equipment. She was especially skilled at the floor exercise and the balance beam. The floor exercise involves performing tumbling passes and dance to music. On the balance beam, gymnasts must perform jumps and turns on a narrow wooden bar. Raisman also competed on the vault and the uneven bars. To reach this level, she trained at Brestyan's American Gymnastics Club under coaches Mihai and Silvia Brestyan. She even completed her high school education through online classes to focus on her training.

Raisman's career was defined by her role as a team captain. She led the U.S. women's Olympic teams in two different years. In 2012, she captained the team nicknamed the "Fierce Five." In 2016, she captained the team known as the "Final Five." Both of these teams won gold medals in the team competition. This feat made her and teammate Gabby Douglas the only Americans to win back-to-back team gold medals.

Her journey to the Olympics began when she was only eighteen months old. She was born on May 25, 1994, in Needham, Massachusetts. She was inspired to join the sport by watching the "Magnificent Seven" on VHS. That was the gold medal-winning U.S. team from the 1996 Summer Olympics. Raisman also holds deep pride in her Jewish heritage and her Romanian roots. She has stated that representing the Jewish community is a great honor. In 2013, she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

The 2012 London Olympics were a major turning point for Raisman. She won a gold medal in the team event and another gold on the floor exercise. She also earned a bronze medal on the balance beam. During the balance beam final, a video review added a tenth of a point to her difficulty score. This allowed her to win a tie-breaker for the bronze medal. Her floor exercise routine was performed to the music "Hava Nagila."

In the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Raisman continued her success. She won a gold medal with her team to defend their title. She also earned two silver medals in the individual all-around and on the floor exercise.

Her performance in Rio helped the U.S. team qualify in first place with a score of 185.238. This was nearly 10 points ahead of the second-place qualifying team. Raisman's ability to perform under pressure helped secure these high scores for her country.

Beyond the Olympics, Raisman was a highly successful competitor at national and world levels. She won gold medals at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships with the U.S. team. She was also a two-time national champion on the floor exercise in 2012 and 2015. She won the national title on the balance beam in 2012 as well. Throughout her career, she earned many medals in the all-around at national championships. Her consistency across many years shows her dedication to the sport.