Aly Raisman wasn’t satisfied walking away from her first Olympics with one bronze and one gold medal.
So the 18-year-old gymnast gave it her all during Tuesday’s Floor Exercise event, where she flipped, tumbled and reached new heights to earn her the gold medal — the USA’s first ever in the event. (Shawn Johnson, 20, earned the silver medal and Nastia Luikin, 22, took home the bronze during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.)
Raisman, who received an impressive 15.6 score from the judges, was joined on the winner’s podium by Romanian gymnast and reigning 2004 gold medalist Catalina Ponor, 24, who nabbed the silver, and Russia’s Aliya Mustafina, 17, who won the bronze. Fellow Team USA Gymnast, Jordyn Wieber, 17, placed seventh.
The Massachusetts native’s huge victory came just two hours after she narrowly won the bronze for the balance beam event earlier on Monday. After receiving a 14.966 for her routine, the teen challenged the judges and upon further evaluation, her recalculated score of 15.066 bumped her to third place. (Meanwhile, Raisman’s teammate, All-Around gold medalist Gabby Douglas, placed seventh in the event.)
In an interview with The Improper Bostonian, the athlete provided some insight on her success. “I love to perform on floor, and it’s where I’m more confident,” she told the magazine. “But I like challenges, so it makes me much more determined in the gym to work on that.”
