Aly Raisman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aly Raisman
Raisman at the 2016 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Alexandra Rose Raisman
Nickname(s)	Aly
Born	(1994-05-25) May 25, 1994 (age 31) Needham, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2009–12, 2014–17 (USA)
Club	Brestyan's American Gymnastics
Head coach(es)	Mihai Brestyan
Assistant coach(es)	Sylvia Brestyan
Choreographer	Sylvia Brestyan
Music	Hava Nagila (2011–2012) Russian Sailors Dance/Kalinka (2015–2016)
Retired	January 14, 2020
Medal record Women's gymnastics Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2012 London Team Gold 2012 London Floor exercise Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro All-around Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Floor exercise Bronze 2012 London Balance beam World Championships Gold 2011 Tokyo Team Gold 2015 Glasgow Team Silver 2010 Rotterdam Team Bronze 2011 Tokyo Floor exercise Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2010 Melbourne Team Gold 2016 Everett Team Gold 2016 Everett Floor exercise Silver 2010 Melbourne All-around Silver 2010 Melbourne Balance beam Silver 2010 Melbourne Floor exercise Silver 2016 Everett All-around Silver 2016 Everett Balance beam FIG World Cup Series Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around World Cup 0 2 1
Awards	Arthur Ashe Courage Award (2018)

Alexandra Rose Raisman (born May 25, 1994), known as Aly Raisman, is a retired American artistic gymnast. She competed in two Olympic Games. Aly was the captain of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams in 2012 and 2016. These teams were famously known as the "Fierce Five" and the "Final Five". Both teams won gold medals in their competitions.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Aly won two gold medals. She earned gold in the team event and on the floor exercise. She also won a bronze medal on the balance beam. This made her the most decorated American gymnast at those Games. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she won another gold medal with the team. This made her and teammate Gabby Douglas the only American gymnasts to win back-to-back team gold medals. Aly also won two silver medals in Rio, one for the individual all-around and one for the floor exercise. With six Olympic medals, she is one of the most decorated American gymnasts in Olympic history.

Aly Raisman was also part of the American teams that won gold at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships. She won a bronze medal on the floor exercise at the 2011 World Championships. She was also a two-time national champion on floor exercise (2012, 2015) and the 2012 national champion on balance beam.

Aly's Early Life and Training

Aly Raisman was born on May 25, 1994, in Needham, Massachusetts. Her mom, Lynn, was a gymnast in high school. Aly has three younger siblings: Brett, Chloe, and Madison. Her family has Jewish roots in Romania. Aly has said she is proud to represent both the U.S.A. and the Jewish community.

Aly started gymnastics when she was very young, at just 18 months old. She loved the sport after watching the "Magnificent Seven". This was the U.S. women's team that won gold at the 1996 Summer Olympics. She trained at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing until she was ten. Then, she moved to Brestyan's American Gymnastics Club. Her coaches there were Mihai and Silvia Brestyan. Aly finished high school online in 2012 while training for the Olympics.

Junior Gymnastics Career

Starting as an Elite Gymnast (2009)

Aly Raisman became an elite gymnast in 2009. She competed in several events that year. At the American Classic in San Diego, she placed tenth in the all-around. She then competed at the U.S. Classic in Des Moines, Iowa, finishing twelfth.

At the National Championships in Dallas, she won a bronze medal in the all-around. Aly also made her first international appearance at the Pan American Championships in Brazil. There, she helped the American team win a gold medal. She also won a bronze medal in the all-around and gold medals on vault and floor exercise.

Senior Gymnastics Career

Making Her Senior Debut (2010)

Aly Raisman started her senior career at the American Cup in Worcester, Massachusetts. She placed second in the all-around. Later that month, she won the all-around gold medal at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy.

At the Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, Aly helped the American team win gold. She also placed second in the all-around. In the event finals, she won two silver medals, one on balance beam and one on floor exercise. She competed at the National Championships in Hartford, Connecticut, where she placed third in the all-around. She also won bronze medals on balance beam and floor exercise.

In October, Aly competed at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. She helped the American team win the silver medal. She finished fourth in the floor exercise final, just missing a medal.

World Champion and Professional Athlete (2011)

In March, Aly placed third at the American Cup in Jacksonville, Florida. Later that month, she helped the American team win gold at the City of Jesolo Trophy. She also won gold medals on balance beam and floor exercise. In July, she won the all-around at the U.S. Classic in Chicago. She also showed off her difficult Amanar vault for the first time. At the National Championships, she placed third in the all-around and won a bronze medal on floor exercise.

Aly was chosen for the World Championships in Tokyo. She became the team captain. She led the American team to a gold medal. Individually, she won a bronze medal on the floor exercise. In November, Aly became a professional athlete. This meant she gave up her chance to compete in college gymnastics.

Olympic Glory in London (2012)

Raisman at the 2012 U.S. Classic

In 2012, Aly continued to perform well. She placed second at the American Cup in New York City. She also helped the American team win gold at the City of Jesolo Trophy. Aly then won the all-around title at the U.S. Classic in Chicago.

At the National Championships in St. Louis, she placed third in the all-around. She also finished first on both balance beam and floor exercise. At the Olympic Trials in San Jose, California, she placed third all-around. She was then chosen for the 2012 Summer Olympics team. Aly was the oldest at 18 and was named captain of the team.

London Olympics Success

At the London Olympics, Aly helped the American team, known as the "Fierce Five", qualify in first place. In the team final, her strong performances on balance beam and floor exercise helped the U.S. team win their first gold medal.

In the individual all-around final, Aly tied for third place but lost the bronze medal in a tie-breaker. However, she bounced back in the event finals. In the balance beam final, she won the bronze medal. Then, in the floor exercise final, Aly won the gold medal. She became the first American woman to win a gold medal on floor exercise. She performed to the song "Hava Nagila".

After the London Olympics

Raisman meeting President Barack Obama with other members of the Fierce Five

In September 2012, Aly was injured during a gymnastics tour. She bruised her knees after falling from the uneven bars. In 2013, she was honored by lighting the flame at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem. She was also inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Aly attended Babson College for a short time before returning to gymnastics.

In 2014, Aly returned to training. Her coach, Mihai Brestyan, had her focus on conditioning for a year. After a training camp in November, she was named to the U.S. National Team again.

Making a Comeback (2015)

Aly Raisman returned to competition at the City of Jesolo Trophy in March 2015. She won a gold medal with the U.S. team. She also won individual bronze medals in the all-around and on the floor exercise. At the National Championships in Indianapolis, she finished third in the all-around.

Aly was chosen for the World Championships in Glasgow. She helped the American team qualify in first place. In the team final, the American team won the gold medal.

Road to Rio and More Medals (2016)

Aly started 2016 at the City of Jesolo Trophy in March. She finished first on the floor exercise and third on the balance beam. At the Pacific Rim Championships, Aly won gold with the U.S. team and a silver medal in the all-around. She also won a silver medal on balance beam and gold on floor exercise. She then won the U.S. Classic in Hartford.

In June, Aly competed at the National Championships. She finished in second place in the all-around. She also placed second on balance beam and floor exercise. At the Olympic Trials in July, she placed third. She was then named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic women's gymnastics team. Aly and Gabby Douglas were the first U.S. women since 2000 to make back-to-back Olympic gymnastics teams. Aly was again the oldest and named captain of the team.

Rio de Janeiro Olympics Success

Raisman and Biles hugging after the all-around competition

At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Aly and the U.S. team qualified in first place for the team final. Aly also qualified second for the individual all-around final and second for the floor exercise final. In the team final, Aly helped the U.S. team win the gold medal, defending their title from 2012. After the competition, the team called themselves "The Final Five".

In the all-around final, Aly placed second, earning a silver medal. Then, in the floor exercise final, Aly again finished second, winning another silver medal. This brought her total to six Olympic medals.

The 2016 Olympic Games were Aly Raisman's last competition. She officially announced her retirement from gymnastics on January 14, 2020.

Dancing with the Stars

Aly Raisman was a contestant on season 16 of Dancing With the Stars. She finished in fourth place with her partner, Mark Ballas.

She also appeared on the show in a previous season. She danced with Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson during a freestyle performance.

Performances on Dancing with the Stars

Other Appearances and Projects

In July 2012, a documentary called Aly Raisman: Quest for Gold focused on her journey. It followed her for nine months, leading up to the 2012 Olympic Trials.

Aly and the rest of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team were on the cover of Sports Illustrated in July 2012. This was the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team was featured on the magazine's cover.

Aly Raisman appeared in ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue in 2015. She wanted to promote a positive body image. She explained that it's important to see different body types, especially for athletes, because everyone's body is amazing in its own way. Aly and teammate Simone Biles also appeared in the Sports Illustrated special issue in 2017. She participated again in 2018 to show support and empowerment for women.

In November 2017, Aly released her book called Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything. She also had a small role in the 2019 Charlie's Angels movie.

Sponsors and Partnerships

Aly Raisman has worked with several companies. Her first big deal was with Poland Spring water in 2012. She also partnered with Pandora jewelry that same year. In 2016, she became a champion for UNICEF Kid Power, helping kids get active. In 2017, she worked with Playtex for a sports product campaign. She also started working with Aerie in 2017 and released her own activewear collection in 2021.

Images for kids

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  Raisman competing on floor exercise at the 2016 Summer Olympics

See also

In Spanish: Aly Raisman para niños

• List of select Jewish gymnasts
• List of Jewish Olympic medalists
• List of Olympic female gymnasts for the United States