As we all know the 2016 Summer Olympic Games just wrapped up in Rio de Janerio, Brazil. At these Games the US Women's Artistic Gymnastics team completely dominated as a team and as individuals on every apparatus. While each member of the team brought her own bubbly, positive personality and impeccable talent I would like to give a shout out to Aly Raisman and explain why she is the best.
1. 2 Olympics
Aly Raisman first made her Olympic debut in 2012 at the 30th Olympiad in London England. Aly was incredibly successful during these Games and continued on the U.S. Nationals team, competed at the Olympic trials and earned a spot on the 2016 U.S. Women's Artistic Gymnastics team and competed at the 31st Olympiad in Rio de Janerio, Brazil this past month. In gymnastics it is not super common for gymnasts to go to more than one Olympics.
2. Captain
Ally Raisman was the captain at both the 2012 London and the 2016 Rio Games. She was voted this honor by the wonderful members of the Fierce and later Final Five. Members of the team vote for the captain based on their leadership skills and ability to provide support and motivation. Being voted Captain at two Olympic Games is no easy feat and is surely worth some bragging points.
3. Grandma
Aly was 18 at the London Games and 22 at the Rio Games and is affectionately called "Grandma" by her teammates. The reason behind this loving nickname is because in the world of Gymnastics most girls are completely retired by the age of 16 or 20. The fact that Aly is still so incredibly talented at 22 is rare and makes her that much cooler for sticking with the intense sport competitively for that long.
4. 6 Medals
In the course of 2 Olympics, Aly Raisman took home 3 Golds, 2 Silvers, and a Bronze for a total of 6 Olympic medals in her possession. She took home a team all- around gold, floor final gold, and bronze on the balance beam back in 2012 and just recently brought back a second team all- around gold, silver floor medal, and her incredibly sought after silver individual- all around medal. Aly Raisman is a gymnastics superhero and is one of the most decorated gymnasts in the sport.
5. Remption
In 2012 Aly Raisman beat out Jordyn Wieber (due to the 2 athlete per country rule) to compete in the Individual all- around final with teammate Gabby Douglas. In this competition Aly Raisman tied in the final for the third place bronze with Russian gymnast Aliya Mustafina with 59.566 points. Due to a tie breaking procedure where each athlete's lowest score is dropped, Aly lost the tiebreaker. Aly used this 4th place accomplisment to motivate her to train harder and come back in 201 and earn her medal.
6. Parents
Aly Raisman's parents, Rick and Lynn, became an internet sensation after the 2012 London Games due to their nervous movements during their daughter's routines. She often says that her parents are her biggest support system and that she is extremeley grateful for their love and support. Having such a strong family makes Aly able to be such an amazing gymnast and the fact that she appreciates it makes so much proves that she is a really great daughter.
7. Positivity
Aly Raisman loves and supports her teammates to no end. While one of them is competing she is always cheering for them and jumping up and down and once they're done she is the first one to give them a hug and congratulate them. In the 2016 Olympics one of the main headlines was Simone Biles and Aly being a "1-2 Punch" because they earned the top 2 spots in the individual all- around and the floor final. While Aly earned the silver in both events, she never once held any resentment to Simone and was her biggest fan. Aly is incredibly positive and supportive no matter what.
8. Massachussets
This last one may be biased but Aly is from Needham, Massachusetts and as a fellow New England girl, it's pretty cool to have a "Hometown Hero" in the Olympics.
