Aly Raisman was the informal “grandma” of the team at 22 when the US Women’s Gymnastics team participated in the Rio Olympics. Now that her former teammate and good friend Simone Biles has beaten her record at 27, she takes pride in how the sport has progressed.
Always there to cheer the current athletes, Raisman has been a strong supporter ever since she retired in 2020.
While she is still in the circle, working as an analyst for the NCAA Gymnastics at ESPN, she believes her purpose transcends the sport. Being one of the strongest voices towards the mental well-being of athletes, she’s now focusing on her health, prioritizing recovery and healing.
In a recent interview with the BBC, the three-time Olympic gold winner mulled over her achievements and what truly mattered. After years of pursuing gymnastics and facing some serious mental health issues post-retirement, Raisman knew how important it was to heal from trauma.
Speaking to the host, Katty Kay, she recalled how overwhelming it had all been to simply participate in two Olympic games back to back. But the media wanted to know if she had plans to go on for the third time.
“I remember right when I finished competing at both Olympics, I felt like the media kept saying…’Are you going to come back for a third?’. And I kind of remember feeling like ‘Isn’t it enough even doing one?’.”
When Aly met popular shoe designer Stuart Weitzman, he shared an important piece of advice that stuck with her ever since. He asked Raisman to not let the Olympics be the highlight of her life. And that helped her think beyond the sport and care for herself and her fellow athletes.
“I just realized very quickly that there’s more important things in life than winning a gold medal.”
Raisman’s career as a popular gymnast may have shot her to fame while simultaneously causing her a lot of mental discomfort. However, she changed the narrative to welfare, recovery, and healing and is now an example of an ideal athlete.
Currently, her support for Biles has been loud, be it online or offline. The duo have remained friends through the years and have always had each other’s backs through adversities. Raisman was even featured in the 27-year-old’s Netflix documentary, recalling all the hurdles they had been through together.
