At 22 years old, Needham’s Aly Raisman is the oldest athlete on the United State’s Olympic Gymnastics Team, and someone her fellow “Final Five” teammates have looked up to.
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After living in a foster home in OH she was adopted by her parents – who are her biological grandparents – and it was under their care that she flourished.
For Biles it seemed business as usual, with little over-the-top celebration as she captured the third of what could be a record haul of five golds.
At the halfway point, however, both Biles and Raisman sat a surprising second behind Russia’s Aliya Mustafina.
“I saw Aly start to cry and said, ‘Oh, my gosh, she’s going to make me cry before floor, ‘ ” Biles said. “I’m just Simone Biles, but it’s awesome to be recognized for all of this success for myself and for team US”, she added. “I met her a year ago, and we became great friends”.
Biles, of Spring, Texas, joins Carly Patterson (2004), Nastia Liukin (2008) and Gabby Douglas (2012) in a string of American all-around champions at the Summer Games.
“I’m an awesome fan and she’s an unbelievable Olympic champion but time will tell if she will become the greatest of all time as it’s too early to say that”.
The superstar American gymnast, regarded as the best in the world and arguably of all-time, showed off unparalleled athleticism on the beam, and made her vault performance appear effortless. I have no regrets, and I’m just very excited, but then again, I do have two gold medals now, but it doesn’t change who I am.
This time, the American was all smiles as she stood one step higher than Mustafina on the podium. She’s expected to obliterate her competition in three of next week’s apparatus finals.
As well as being the first to win three consecutive all-around world titles last October, she has won more world gold medals – 10 – than any other female gymnast in history. The Fierce Five veteran, now 22 and captain of the newly-coined Final Five, also hit on beam in rotation three and then delivered an Olympic-sized floor routine to give the USA the gold and silver medals.
“There are so many things she wants to do”.
Raisman said she couldn’t help get overwhelmed by emotion after finishing, particularly after hearing cheers from the crowd.
With her victory in the 100-meter freestyle, she became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic gold medal in swimming.
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But she is flattered by recognition from idols such as Comaneci: “I feel we’re following in her footsteps”.
