ALY RAISMANBY ANJANI MALLI REDDI

SYNOPSIS• Born in 1994, Aly Raisman started gymnastics at

an early age. She quickly became a strong competitor, winning the gold in the vault event at the 2009 American Classic and in the all-around category at the 2011 Cover Girl Classic. Raisman also helped the U.S. gymnastics team win the 2011 World Championships. The following year, she won two gold medals—one in the gymanstics team competition and the other in the individual floor exercise—and a bronze medal for the beam at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

FACTS• NAME: Alexandra Raisman • OCCUPATION: Gymnast • BIRTH DATE: May 25, 1994 (Age: 18) • EDUCATION: Needham High School • PLACE OF BIRTH: Needham, Massachusetts • AKA: Aly Raisman • ZODIAC SIGN: Gemini

EARLY LIFE• A member of the U.S. Olympic women's

gymnastics team, Aly Raisman started learning her sport not long after she began walking. In an interview with USA Gymnastics, she said, "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!" The oldest of four children, Raisman is the daughter of two athletic parents. Her mother was a gymnast in high school and her father played hockey.

EARLY LIFE 1• At the age of 10, Raisman took her training to

another level. She started working with Mihai and Sylvie Brestyan at their American Gymnastics Club in Burlington, Massachusetts. Around the age of 14, Raisman had begun to compete on an elite level. She came in twelfth over all in junior competition at the 2009 Cover Girl Classic. That same year, Raisman won the junior vault event at the American Classic.

TOP GYMNAST• By 2010, Raisman proved that she had the right

stuff to be a world-class gymnast. She was part of the silver medal-winning team at the World Championships and picked three bronze medals at the Visa National Championships that year. Raisman went on to win the Cover Girl Classic in 2011, and earned a bronze medal in the floor exercise at the 2011 World Championships. She and her teammates—Jordyn Wieber, Gabrielle Douglas, Sabrina Vega and McKayla Maroney—also took home the gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, in the team competition.

TOP GYMNAST 1• Raisman worked hard to balance her love of

gymnastics with her school work. She went to Needham High School through her junior year, and completed her studies online in 2012. Though dedicated to her sport, she managed to find the time to go to graduation with her friends, and even made it to her senior prom. "The gymnastics definitely takes a priority, but she's very good with still trying to keep in touch with friends and having a little bit of normalcy," her mother, Lynn Raisman, told ESPN. "I think if you don't have that, it's hard. It's just a very grueling sport."

TOP GYMNAST 2• Raisman made the U.S. Olympic women's

gymnastics team in 2012. "Making the team is a dream come true," she told ESPN. "I am so honored and so excited to represent my country. It means the world to me." While the 18-year-old gymnast was selected to be the team's captain, much of the initial media attention focused on Raisman's teammates, Jordyn Wieber and Gabby Douglas. Many experts have predicted that these two young women are in the running for individual medals at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, held in London.

TOP GYMNAST 3• Once the games started, however, Raisman

showed the judges that she was no underdog. She beat out Wieber for a spot to compete in the all-around finals. According to Raisman, the victory was bittersweet. "I was really surprised. I feel awful because she [Wieber] wanted it so bad. But she should still feel proud. She's an Olympian," Raisman said in an interview with the Los Angeles Times.

TOP GYMNAST 4• In late July 2012, Raisman and her U.S. Olympic

women's gymnastics teammates—Gabrielle Douglas, Kyla Ross, McKayla Maroney and Jordyn Wieber—took home a team gold medal. Fans worldwide watched as judges announced the team's medal win—the first gold medal for the American women's gymnastics team since 1996. Raisman went on to win a bronze medal for the beam and a second gold medal, in the individual floor exercise, at the 2012 Olympics.

CLOSINGALY RAISMAN IS THE BEST GYMNAST!!!!!

COOL!