Aly Racing to Rio?

Aly Racing to Rio?

Aly Racing to Rio?

Apr 17, 2014 by Elizabeth Stranahan
Aly Racing to Rio?


Minutes after marching off the competition arena in London, a gold medal freshly hung around her neck, Olympian Aly Raisman was bombarded by public and media attention demanding to know one thing: would she come back for Rio? Elite athletes train their entire lives hoping to achieve a sliver of the success Raisman achieved at the 2012 Games, but many wanted to know if for Raisman, that success was enough. Earlier this week, Raisman released an article to espnW expressing in her own words what the Olympic journey looks like after the Closing Ceremonies, and finally comments whether or not she will return to elite competition.

While the Olympic Games themselves are a blur of activity, many athletes express the competition is really only the start to a flurry of attention. From guest appearances to Red Carpets, the media blitz can quickly dominate life for premiere athletes after the Olympics. And in her article "Dreaming of Another Olympics," Raisman remarks that she was no exception. “My teammates and I were whisked from the closing ceremonies to New York to being a whirlwind media tour,” Raisman states detailing the wondrous opportunities she experienced including ringing the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange and competing in ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” While Raisman hardly regrets the memories she created, she also acknowledges that, “[b]efore I knew it, an entire year had passed, and I hadn’t really been training.” A year after her last competition, the same question posed after her triumph in London still nagged at Raisman, but this time, she was the one asking.



A return to gymnastics is never easy after a break, but a return to elite competition can prove especially daunting. With each year that passes younger and fresher athletes join the elite ranks to challenge the veterans of the field. As no spot on the Olympic team is ever guaranteed and no American woman has competed in two Olympic games since 2000, Raisman faced a tough decision. 

After a long discussion with Head Coach Mihai Brestyan and a commitment to progress skills smarty even if that meant slowly, Raisman made her return to gymnastics training. “It took me a year to say yes, but I always knew, very deep down, that that was what my answer would be.” So will Raisman return for Rio? Aly responds that is still not a question she is ready to tackle, but with confidence, she says she’ll certainly give it a try.

To read Aly Raisman’s full article published on espnW click here.

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