Laurie Hernandez

Quick facts for kids Laurie Hernandez
Hernandez in Phoenix, Arizona, in July 2017
Personal information
Full name	Lauren Zoe Hernandez
Nickname(s)	Laurie, Lo
Country represented	United States
Born	(2000-06-09) June 9, 2000 (age 25) New Brunswick, New Jersey
Height	5 ft 1 in (155 cm)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	2012–16 (USA)
Club	Gym-Max Gymnastics (2018–2021), MG Elite (former)
Head coach(es)	Jenny Liang
Former coach(es)	Maggie Haney
Retired	June 6, 2021
Medal record Representing the  United States Olympic Games Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team Silver 2016 Rio de Janeiro Balance beam Pacific Rim Championships Gold 2016 Everett Team

Lauren Zoe Hernandez (born June 9, 2000), known as Laurie Hernandez, is an American retired artistic gymnast. She became famous during her first year as a senior gymnast. She was part of the U.S. women's gymnastics team, nicknamed the "Final Five," which won the team gold medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Laurie also won an individual silver medal on the balance beam.

After the Olympics, Laurie took a break from gymnastics. She returned to training in late 2018, hoping to join the 2020 Summer Olympics team. However, she did not qualify for the Olympic Trials.

Hernandez first joined the U.S. gymnastics national team in 2013. She started competing in international events that same year. After missing the 2014 season due to injuries, she won the junior all-around title at the 2015 U.S. Championships. Besides her Olympic gold, Laurie also won team gold medals at the 2016 City of Jesolo Trophy and 2016 Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships.

Outside of gymnastics, Laurie Hernandez appeared on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars in 2016. She won the competition with her partner Valentin Chmerkovskiy. Hernandez also hosted the first season of American Ninja Warrior Junior as a reporter. She voiced Valeria in the Nickelodeon animated miniseries Middle School Moguls. Laurie has written two books: I Got This: To Gold and Beyond, a New York Times Bestseller, and She's Got This, a children's book.

Laurie Hernandez's Early Life and Family

Laurie Hernandez was born on June 9, 2000, in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Her parents are Wanda and Anthony Hernandez. Her grandparents moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico. Laurie has an older sister, Jelysa, and an older brother, Marcus.

When she was four, Laurie took ballet lessons. But at age five, she asked her parents if she could switch to gymnastics. She was homeschooled through the Abeka Academy distance-learning program.

Junior Gymnastics Journey

Starting Out: 2012–2013 Competitions

In 2012, Laurie competed at the National Qualifier at the Karolyi Ranch. She won a bronze medal in the all-around competition. Her scores helped her qualify for elite competitions in the U.S. Later that year, she placed eighth in the junior all-around at the American Classic. She then competed at the U.S. Classic, finishing 11th in the junior division. Laurie qualified for the U.S. Championships in St. Louis, where she placed 21st.

In 2013, Hernandez won a silver medal in the all-around at the WOGA Classic. In June, she competed at the American Classic in Huntsville, Texas. There, she won first place on floor exercise. She also took second in the all-around and third on balance beam and vault. After a national training camp, she joined the U.S. junior national team in July 2013.

Laurie then went to Chicago for the U.S. Classic, where she placed sixth all-around. She also won the floor exercise title. At the National Championships in August, she earned a silver medal in the junior all-around. She also placed second on uneven bars and floor exercise, and tied for third on beam.

Hernandez represented the U.S. at the Junior Japan International in Yokohama in September 2013. She won the bronze medal in the all-around. She also placed third on vault, fourth on floor exercise, and sixth on balance beam. In November, she competed at the International Junior Mexican Cup in Acapulco. Her team won the gold medal. Individually, Laurie won the silver medal in the all-around.

Overcoming Injuries: 2014–2015 Comeback

In early 2014, Laurie fractured her wrist after slipping off the beam during training. Later that year, she dislocated her kneecap and injured her patellar tendon. She bravely returned to training in the fall. She attended the final U.S. training camp of the year in November.

In 2015, Hernandez was named to the U.S. team for the 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She became the junior all-around champion there. In the junior event finals, she won more gold medals on the uneven bars and floor exercise. At the U.S. Classic in July, she won the junior all-around title. She also won vault and uneven bars, and placed third on balance beam and floor exercise.

At the U.S. Championships, Laurie won the junior all-around title. She also won the uneven bars title, a silver medal on floor exercise, and bronze medals on balance beam and vault. She then competed at the 2015 International Junior Japan Meet in Yokohama. There, she won the all-around, floor exercise, and vault. She also earned silver medals on balance beam and uneven bars.

Senior Gymnastics Career and Olympic Glory

Making Her Mark: 2016 Senior Debut

Laurie Hernandez made her senior debut in 2016 at the City of Jesolo Trophy. The U.S. team won the gold medal. Laurie earned a bronze medal in the all-around. She also won a silver medal on vault and a gold medal on balance beam.

In April, Hernandez competed at the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Everett, Washington. She helped the American team win first place. She placed third individually, but a rule limited medals to two gymnasts per country. Laurie also qualified for the balance beam final. However, she did not compete to rest before the Olympics.

In June, Hernandez competed at the U.S. Classic on uneven bars, placing fourth. Later that month, she competed on all four events at the U.S. Championships. She finished third all-around. She also placed third on uneven bars and balance beam, and tied for third on floor exercise.

At the Olympic trials in early July, Laurie placed second in the all-around. She was then chosen for the Olympic team. Before the Olympics, she decided to become a professional athlete.

Shining Bright at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics

Hernandez at the 2016 Summer Olympics

On August 7, Laurie competed in the qualification round at the 2016 Summer Olympics. She performed well on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise. She qualified for the balance beam event final in second place. She had the fourth-highest score on floor, but did not advance due to the two-per-country rule. The United States team finished first in qualifications.

Hernandez and the rest of the United States team, known as the Final Five, won the gold medal in the team final. The American team performed incredibly, scoring much higher than other teams. Laurie was the first competitor on vault and floor exercise for the team.

Laurie won a silver medal in the balance beam event final. She placed ahead of her teammate Simone Biles.

Taking a Break and Returning to Training

After the 2016 Olympics, Laurie Hernandez took a break from gymnastics. She explored opportunities in media and allowed her body to rest. She appeared on Dancing with the Stars and won the competition. She continued to appear on television and in media for the next four years.

Laurie returned to gymnastics training in October 2018, after two years away. For her comeback, she switched gymnastics clubs. She trained at Gym-Max in California with new coaches. She was invited to a national team training camp in November 2019.

Challenges and Retirement: 2020-2021

In January 2020, Laurie focused on upcoming competitions. These included the U.S. Classic, U.S. Championships, and U.S. Olympic Trials. However, many competitions in 2020 were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.

In 2020, Laurie spoke out about difficult experiences with her former coach. Her coach was later suspended by USA Gymnastics for actions that were not supportive of athlete well-being. Laurie shared her story to help others and highlight the importance of athlete safety in gymnastics.

In February 2021, Hernandez returned to elite gymnastics at the 2021 Winter Cup. She competed on two events, performing a clean beam routine. At the 2021 U.S. Classic, she competed on vault and balance beam. In June, she had to withdraw from the 2021 U.S. Championships due to a knee injury during warm-ups. She did not qualify for the Olympic Trials. Laurie later shared that she had a torn meniscus and other knee issues.

Hernandez participated in Simone Biles' Gold Over America Tour in the fall of 2021. She officially retired from competitive gymnastics in 2021.

Television Roles and Media Appearances

Dancing with the Stars Champion

Laurie Hernandez was announced as a celebrity contestant on season 23 of Dancing with the Stars on August 30, 2016. She was partnered with professional dancer Valentin Chmerkovskiy. The pair won the competition and the Mirrorball Trophy on November 22, 2016. At 16 years old, Laurie was the show's youngest winner.

In November 2017, Laurie returned to the 25th season. She participated in a special trio dance.

Other Exciting Television Roles

Hernandez was the on-course reporter for the first season of American Ninja Warrior Junior. In 2019, she voiced a character named Valeria in the Nickelodeon animated mini-series Middle School Moguls. Laurie was also one of five gymnasts featured in the Peacock docuseries Golden: The Journey of USA's Elite Gymnasts.

Even though she did not make the 2020 Olympic team, Laurie traveled to Tokyo as a commentator for NBC. She guest starred as herself in a 2023 episode of the Disney+ animated series The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder.

Hernandez provided commentary for NBC's live coverage of women's artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She was praised for her enthusiastic and insightful commentary. For her work as an event analyst, Laurie won a Sports Emmy Award.

Books and Other Appearances

On November 24, 2016, Laurie appeared in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. In 2017, she was a special guest narrator for the Candlelight Processional at Epcot Center in Disney World. She was also a Grand Marshal of the 2020 Rose Parade.

Hernandez released her book I Got This: To Gold and Beyond on January 24, 2017. In 2018, she published a children's book called She's Got This, with illustrations by Nina Mata.

Honors and Achievements

• In 2017, Laurie received a Jefferson Award for Public Service. This award recognized her "Outstanding National or Global Service by a Young American 25 Years or Under."
• In June 2019, Hernandez was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame.

Personal Life and Education

Laurie Hernandez started attending New York University Tisch School of the Arts in 2023.

Competitive History

Competition history for Laurie Hernandez at the junior level

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2012	National Qualifier			13	6
	American Classic		8	10	8		6
	U.S. Classic		11	10	23	7	6
	U.S. Championships		21	19	19	21	17
2013	WOGA Classic			4		4	9
	American Classic				7
	U.S. Classic		6	8	8	16
	U.S. Championships			5
	Japan Junior International					6	4
	Junior Mexican Cup
2015	City of Jesolo Trophy
	U.S. Classic
	U.S. Championships
	Japan Junior International

Competition history for Laurie Hernandez at the senior level

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
2016	City of Jesolo Trophy
	Pacific Rim Championships
	U.S. Classic				4
	U.S. Championships
	Olympic Trials			4	7
	Olympic Games
2017	Did not compete
2018
2019
2020
2021	Winter Cup					5	13
	U.S. Classic					22
	U.S. Championships		WD

Filmography

See also

In Spanish: Laurie Hernandez para niños

• List of Puerto Ricans
• List of Olympic female artistic gymnasts for the United States