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.
Residence	Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Height	5 ft 2 in (157 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
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 an American retired artistic gymnast. She was a leader for the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics teams in both 2012 and 2016. These teams, called the "Fierce Five" and "Final Five", both won gold medals.

At the 2012 London Olympics, Aly won two gold medals. One was for the team competition, and the other was for her amazing performance on the floor exercise. She also earned 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 her team. This made her and teammate Gabby Douglas the only American gymnasts to win two team gold medals in a row. Aly also won silver medals in the individual all-around and on the floor exercise. With six Olympic medals, she is one of the most successful American gymnasts in Olympic history.

Aly was also part of the American teams that won gold at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships. In 2011, she won a bronze medal on the floor exercise at the World Championships. She also won national championships on floor exercise in 2012 and 2015, and on balance beam in 2012.

Early Life and Gymnastics Start

Aly Raisman was born on May 25, 1994, in Needham, Massachusetts, near Boston. Her mom, Lynn, used to be a gymnast in high school. Aly has three younger brothers and sisters: Brett, Chloe, and Madison.

Aly started gymnastics when she was only 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 watched their performances on VHS tapes.

She trained at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing until she was ten. Then, she moved to Brestyan's American Gymnastics Club. There, she trained with coaches 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 at the American Classic and the U.S. Classic. At the National Championships in Dallas, she won a bronze medal for her overall performance.

She also competed internationally for the first time at the Pan American Championships in Brazil. She helped the American team win the gold medal. She also won a bronze medal for her all-around performance. In the individual events, she won gold medals on the vault and floor exercise.

Senior Gymnastics Career

First Senior Competitions (2010)

Aly started competing as a senior gymnast in 2010. She placed second at the American Cup in Worcester, Massachusetts. Later that month, she won the gold medal for her all-around performance at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Italy.

At the Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, she helped the U.S. team win gold. She also placed second in the all-around competition. She won silver medals on the 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 also placed fourth in the floor exercise final, just missing a medal.

World Champion and Professional (2011)

In March, Aly placed third at the American Cup. Later that month, she won gold with the American team at the City of Jesolo Trophy. She also won gold medals on the 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.

Aly was chosen to compete at the World Championships in Tokyo. She became the team captain. She led the American team to a gold medal victory. She also won a bronze medal on the floor exercise.

In November, Aly decided to become a professional athlete. This meant she gave up her chance to compete in college gymnastics.

Road to the Olympics (2012)

Raisman at the 2012 U.S. Classic

Aly continued to perform well in 2012. She placed second at the American Cup in New York City. She then won the all-around title at the U.S. Classic in Chicago. In June, she won gold medals on the balance beam and floor exercise at the National Championships.

At the Olympic Trials in July, Aly placed third overall. She was then chosen to be part of the U.S. Olympic team. She was the oldest member at 18 and was named team captain.

London Olympics Success

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Aly and her team, nicknamed the "Fierce Five", qualified in first place for the team final. Aly also qualified for the individual all-around, balance beam, and floor exercise finals. In the team final, she helped the American team win the gold medal.

In the individual all-around, she tied for third place but lost the bronze medal in a tie-breaker. However, she bounced back in the balance beam final. After a review, her score was raised, and she won the bronze medal. In the floor exercise final, Aly won the gold medal. She was the first American woman to win gold on the 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

After the Olympics, Aly was honored in many ways. She was chosen to light the flame at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Jerusalem. In 2013, she was added to the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.

In 2014, Aly returned to gymnastics training after taking a break. She was named back to the U.S. National Team.

Returning to Competition (2015)

Aly made her return to competition at the 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy in March. 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 then chosen to compete at the World Championships in Glasgow. The American team won the gold medal by a large margin.

Another Olympic Year (2016)

Aly started 2016 strong. She won gold with the U.S. team at the 2016 City of Jesolo Trophy. She also won gold on the floor exercise. At the Pacific Rim Championships, Aly won gold with the U.S. team and a silver medal in the all-around. She also won gold on the floor exercise.

In June, Aly competed at the National Championships and placed second overall. At the Olympic Trials in July, she placed third. She was then named to the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. Aly and Gabby Douglas were the first U.S. women since 2000 to make two Olympic gymnastics teams in a row. Aly was again the oldest and captain of the team.

Rio de Janeiro Olympics

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 the floor exercise final. In the team final, Aly helped the U.S. team win the gold medal again. After winning, the team called themselves "The Final Five".

In the all-around final, Aly won a silver medal. She placed second behind her teammate Simone Biles. In the floor exercise final, Aly again finished second behind Biles, earning another silver medal. This brought her total Olympic medals to six.

The 2016 Olympic Games were Aly Raisman's last competition. She officially announced her retirement 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 dance partner Mark Ballas.

She also appeared on the show in a previous season with the "Fierce Five" team.

Performances

Other Appearances

In July 2012, a documentary called Aly Raisman: Quest for Gold was made about her. She was also on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the rest of the U.S. women's Olympic gymnastics team. This was the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team was on the magazine's cover.

Aly Raisman and fellow Olympic gymnast Simone Biles appeared in the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. She also participated in the 2018 edition to show strength and support for women.

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

Sponsors and Endorsements

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

Competitive History

Raisman competing on floor exercise at the 2016 Summer Olympics

Competitive history of Aly Raisman

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
2009	American Classic		10			4	6
	U.S. Classic		12			8
	U.S. Championships			5
	Pan American Championships
Senior
2010	American Cup
	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Pacific Rim Championships				7
	U.S. Classic		5		10	5	5
	U.S. Championships				11
	World Championships		13				4
2011	American Cup
	City of Jesolo Trophy
	U.S. Classic				18
	U.S. Championships				11	6
	World Championships		4			4
2012	American Cup
	City of Jesolo Trophy			4		6
	U.S. Classic				6
	U.S. Championships				11
	U.S. Olympic Trials				8
	Olympic Games		4
2013	did not compete
2014
2015	City of Jesolo Trophy
	U.S. Classic		5		9		5
	U.S. Championships				11	7
	World Championships
2016	City of Jesolo Trophy		6
	Pacific Rim Championships
	U.S. Classic				19
	U.S. Championships				12
	U.S. Olympic Trials				11
	Olympic Games

Filmography

Film

Television

Music videos

See Also

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