5. Alexandra Raisman, U.S.A
Alexandra Rose “Aly” Raisman was born on 25th May , 1994. She is an American artistic gymnast who was captain of the gold medal-winning US Women’s Gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics and individually won a gold medal on the floor and a bronze medal on the balance beam. She was also on the US team that won the 2011 World Championship.
Raisman was born on May 25, 1994, in Needham, Massachusetts to Lynn (née Faber) and Rick Raisman. Raisman is Jewish. Her mother is a former high school gymnast. She has three younger siblings, Brett, Chloe, and Madison.
Raisman began gymnastics at a very young age. She said, “I got involved when I was two years old when my mom put me in Mommy and Me classes, I always had a lot of energy so it was the perfect fit! I have always loved it ever since!” Raisman trained at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing through Level 8, when she moved to Brestyan’s American Gymnastics Club under coaches Mihai and Silvia Brestyan. She trains alongside Alicia Sacramone, of whom Raisman said, “She’s kind of like my older sister. I can ask her about anything because I know that she’s been through it all. She knows what it takes to get there, so watching her work so hard in the gym everyday is really helpful. I love watching her because she’s such a beautiful gymnast, she’s so powerful, and has the whole package.”
Raisman is a graduate of Needham High School, which she attended until the end of her junior year. She completed her senior year via online classes, allowing her to focus on training for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
In April 2009, Raisman competed at the American Classic in San Diego, California. She placed tenth in the all around with a score of 53.383.In July, Raisman competed at the CoverGirl Classic in Des Moines, Iowa. She placed twelfth in the all around with a score of 54.050.
In August, Raisman competed at the Visa Championships in Dallas, Texas. She placed third in the all around with a two day combined score of 112.600. In event finals, she placed fifth on vault scoring 29.650 and second on balance beam scoring 28.950.
In November, Raisman competed at the Junior Pan American Championships in Aracaju, Brazil. She contributed scores of 14.950 on vault and 14.050 on floor toward the American team’s first place finish. Individually, she placed third in the all around competition with a score of 56.200. In event finals, she placed first on vault scoring 14.700 and first on floor scoring 14.400.
In March 2010, Raisman competed at the American Cup in Worcester, Massachusetts. She placed second in the all around competition with a score of 58.900. She said, ““It was great to go out there and compete in front of my friends and family. Until I saw all the signs, I didn’t know there were that many girls from my gym here, so it made it even more special to have all that support.”
Later in March, Raisman competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She won the all around with a score of 57.650.
In May, Raisman competed at the Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, Australia. She helped the American team win first place and individually she placed second in the all around competition with a score of 58.250. In event finals, she placed seventh on uneven bars scoring 13.025, second on balance beam scoring 14.675, and second on floor scoring 14.625.
In July, Raisman competed at the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago, Illinois. She placed fifth in the all around competition with a score of 55.700.
In August, Raisman competed at the Visa Championships in Hartford, Connecticut. She placed third in the all around competition with a two day combined score of 115.650. In event finals, she placed third on balance beam scoring 28.300 and third on floor scoring 29.500.
In October, Raisman competed at the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She contributed scores of 15.066 on vault, 14.333 on balance beam, and 14.500 on floor towards the American team’s second place. Individually, she placed thirteenth in the all around final with a score of 55.699. Raisman said, “It felt really good (to compete in the finals). It’s an honor to be in this competition. I am disappointed about what happened on bars, but I am happy that I did the other three events well to finish strong.” She placed fourth in the floor final with a score of 14.716. “I am really excited about coming in fourth because I was in eighth place in the prelims and I jumped up a couple of places,” said Raisman. “It’s a little frustrating because I missed a medal by just .050, but I am also excited about it. I definitely learned a lot, and I am going to go home and work on my execution.”
Raisman continued training throughout the winter. She said, “Training has been going really good. I feel really confident. I’m just trying to perfect all the things I’m working on and learn a few new skills. The main area I’m focusing on is getting the 2 1/2 (Amanar) on vault, since it will bump my start value up seven tenths.”
In March 2011, Raisman competed at the American Cup in Jacksonville, Florida. She placed third in the all around with a score of 58.565. Raisman said, “I’m really happy with my performance today, especially floor because that is the highest score I’ve received on that event.”
Later in March, Raisman competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She placed third in the all around competition with a score of 57.400.In July, Raisman competed at the CoverGirl Classic in Chicago, Illinois. She won the all around competition with a score of 57.250.
In August, Raisman competed at the Visa Championships in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She placed third in the all around with a two day combined score of 114.600. In event finals, she placed sixth on balance beam scoring 27.900 and third on floor scoring 29.150. Raisman said, ““I’m really happy that I did well. I’m especially happy that I was able to hit my uneven bars routine two days in a row.”
In October, Raisman competed at the 2011 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tokyo, Japan. Raisman took Sacramone’s place as team captain after Sacramone was injured before the competition. “I’m the oldest of all my siblings, so it just kind of came naturally,” said Raisman. “I didn’t really think of it as being the team leader, I just wanted to help the others out.” She contributed scores of 14.950 on vault, 14.866 on balance beam, and 14.666 on floor towards the American team’s first place finish. Individually she placed fourth in the all around competition with a score of 57.558. In event finals, she placed fourth on balance beam scoring 15.066 and third on floor scoring 15.000.Raisman said, “Winning the team gold was the most amazing feeling ever. It’s a dream come true, saying that I’m a World Champion. It doesn’t even seem real saying it right now, but it’s just amazing because we were all so prepared and we worked so hard.”
In November, Raisman decided to become a professional athlete, giving up her NCAA eligibility. She signed with the Octagon Sports management firm. Raisman said, “It was a hard decision but I’ve always thought about it in the back of my mind. I just wanted to try it and have no regrets because I thought if I didn’t try to go pro I’d always wonder. I know all the girls at Florida and they love it there so much. But not a lot of people get the opportunity to be a professional gymnast and be able to have sponsors. I love fashion, so it’s cool to be sponsored by Ralph Lauren.”
At the beginning of March 2012, Raisman competed at the American Cup in New York City, New York. She placed second in the all around competition with a score of 60.823. Raisman said, “I’m really happy and excited with my performance. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the year has to offer.”
At the end of March, Raisman competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy in Jesolo, Italy. She placed second in the all around competition with a score of 59.050.
In May, Raisman competed at the Secret U.S. Classic in Chicago, Illinois. She won the all around competition with a score of 60.350. Raisman said, “Winning the Secret U.S. Classic feels so amazing. I’m so happy. I feel really confident – I’ve been working really hard and I’m glad it paid off.” Márta Károlyi said, “I was very impressed by Raisman’s general manner of how she handled this competition. You could not tell that she feels any pressure and we really really need that. At the Olympics…we need the girls to believe that they’re ready and then they are successful, so that was very good.”
In June, Raisman competed at the Visa Championships in St. Louis, Missouri. She placed third in the all around with a two day combined score of 120.950. In event finals, she placed first on beam scoring 30.650 and first on floor scoring 31.250. “I’m so excited, and I had so much fun tonight.” Raisman said. “I’ve never won an event at the Visa Championships, so it’s just incredible.” Márta Károlyi said, “She is just so solid. She goes out there and doesn’t act like she’s bothered by anything. She knows she’s trained, she knows she’s ready and she doesn’t put any extra pressure on herself. I really love to have this kind of gymnast. She gives her heart.” Alicia Sacramone added, “I don’t think she necessarily gets enough credit for how well she competes. At the last two world championships, I don’t think she’s made any mistakes. She’s the backbone. If you want her to go and do something, do a solid routine, she’s going to do it. She’s not necessarily as flashy as Jordyn or Gabby, and that’s why people look past her. I think she deserves a little bit more credit.”
At the beginning of July, Raisman competed at the Olympic Trials in San Jose, California. She placed third in the all around with a two day combined score of 120.950. In event finals, she placed first on balance beam scoring 30.350 and first on floor scoring 31.100. Afterwards, Raisman was chosen as a member of the team that will be sent to the 2012 Summer Olympics. She said, “I feel so honored and so excited. I didn’t think I would get this emotional about it, but I’m thinking about all of the hard work it has taken to get to this.”
In July, Raisman was the focus of a documentary on Comcast SportsNet entitled Aly Raisman: Quest for Gold. She was filmed for nine months following the 2011 World Championships until the Olympic Trials. Raisman said, “I guess it’s weird to say I’ve gotten used to having a camera around me, just because I am 18-years old.”
Raisman was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated with the rest of the USA Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team on the July 18, 2012 issue of Olympic Preview. This marked the first time an entire Olympic gymnastics team had been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
At the end of July, Raisman competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She helped the American team (nicknamed the “Fierce Five”) qualify in first place to the team final, and also qualified in second place for the individual all-around with a score of 60.391. Raisman also qualified fifth to the beam final with a score of 15.100 and first to the floor final with a score of 15.325. After qualifications, Raisman said, “Before we marched out we talked about how we want to have fun here and really enjoy it. We talked about going out and hitting all of our routines just like at 2011 World Championships and that’s what we did. I’m really proud of our team.”
In the team final, Raisman contributed scores of 14.933 on balance beam and 15.300 on floor toward the American team’s first place finish. She said, “We knew we could do it. We just had to pull out all the stops.”
In the individual all-around, Raisman finished in fourth place with an overall score of 59.566, which matched the third place score by Russian Aliya Mustafina, but the tie-breaking rules for all-around sum the three highest apparatus scores; with Mustafina scoring 45.933 and Raisman 45.366, Mustafina was awarded the bronze medal. Raisman said, “I’m really happy for Gabby. She’s been working really hard so I’m really excited for her, but it’s definitely really frustrating because we (Mustafina) tied for third place. I was so close. But being fourth in the world is definitely something to be proud of.”
In the balance beam final, Raisman won the bronze medal. She initially scored 14.966, but after U.S. team coordinator Márta Károlyi and husband Béla Károlyi had requested a video review, the judges re-evaluated and granted an extra tenth towards her routine’s difficulty. As a result, Raisman scored 15.066, matching Romanian Catalina Ponor for third place, and in the tie-breaking procedure, which prioritizes execution score, Raisman scored higher. She said, “I felt really good on my beam routine today and I’m happy that it was good enough for bronze. This day has been so crazy and really special. I am really excited to celebrate with my family and friends tonight.”
In the floor final, Raisman won the gold medal with a score of 15.600. She said, “It feels amazing. I have been working so hard, so to have it come true is so exciting. I have always dreamed of being the Olympic Champion on floor, so I was really happy to be able to do the floor routine of my life here today.” She is the first American woman to win the gold medal on floor. Raisman performed her floor exercise to the tune Hava Nagila.
In September, Raisman was injured during the Kellogg’s Tour of Gymnastics Champions in Ontario, California. She fell while performing a Maloney on the uneven bars and landed off the mats bruising her knees. This occurred shortly after teammate McKayla Maroney injured herself performing a flyaway dismount on the same bars. Prior to the games, Raisman had endorsements with Ralph Lauren, GK Elite Sportswear and others. After the games she picked up deals with American Girl, Poland Spring and Pandora Jewelry.
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