Ready for Rio! Aly Raisman will captain the United States women’s gymnastics team for the second consecutive Summer Olympics.
USA Gymnastics revealed via Twitter on Saturday, July 23, that Raisman, 22, will lead fellow teammates Gabby Douglas, Simone Biles, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez at the 2016 competition in Rio de Janeiro next month.
Raisman previously led the U.S. women’s gymnastics team to win gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, where she took home three Olympic medals.
Since then, the athlete says she feels like a totally different person. “It feels like the [2012] Olympics were forever ago, but at the same time, I can’t believe it’s already almost been four years,” Raisman told Us Weekly in November 2015. “It’s really, really crazy. Time definitely flies but I definitely feel older and more mature and I’m really excited for the next few months.”
“It’s just amazing because she’s so strong,” Douglas, 20, told ABC News of the captain on July 11. “To have her just lead this team, we’ve been there, and for us to be back on this road together is just amazing and kind of different because we were on the same team and now we’re on the same team again. It’s just a special bond.”
Raisman is a four-time medalist at the world championships. She also finished as a runner-up — behind Biles, 19 — in the individual all-around earlier this year at the Pacific Rim Championships.
The Massachusetts native, who finished in fourth place on season 16 of Dancing With the Stars in 2013 with pro dance partner Mark Ballas, returned to gymnastics in March 2015 after an extended post-London break.
“Right now, I’m just really focused on being a good captain and also just making sure we do a good job in the team final,” Raisman told ABC News earlier this month.
The Rio Olympics begin August 5 and will be streamed live on NBCOlympics.com and on the NBC Sports app. The Rio Paralympics begin September 7 and will be streamed live on TeamUSA.org.
Thank You!
You have successfully subscribed.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tr%2FMmp6aspmjsm%2BvzqZmnJ2cmq%2BztdOyZKedp6h8r7HWrGaapKliv6K10qaYp2WelrqmsIycmKmskZ67brvFZmlpaWZiwrR5zqWwpqiZmHq4u8yepaxll666r63SraCcq12psqK5jLBrbGhlbIZw