Aly Raisman reflected on her athletic career in a letter to her 8-year old self
Amidst her decision to not compete at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Raisman reflected on her athletic journey.
For Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman, the decision not to participate in the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo was not an easy one.
“It’s true I’m not going to be competing in Tokyo,” Raisman wrote in a letter she posted to social media on Tuesday, “but seeing it characterized as such a simple decision really caught me off guard.”
For Raisman, a Needham native, her Olympic aspirations began at a young age after watching VHS tapes of the 1996 Olympics. In her letter, she reflected on what she would tell her younger self looking back, and what her mission is moving forward.
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“One of the best things about being a kid is the belief that anything is possible, and that no dream is too big,” she wrote. “I think about what I’d say to her now.”
She recounts how those dreams of standing on the Olympic podium came to fruition when she won two gold medals at the 2012 Olympics in London for the team and floor exercise events and a bronze for the balance beam. She then went on to win a gold medal for the team event at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, as well as two silver medals for the all-around and the floor exercise.
“I envision her eyes lighting up and a smile spreading across her face as she learns she will one day be like those gymnasts she watched on TV,” she wrote.
Still, Raisman grappled with how she would tell her younger self about the “tough times” she faced from the people “who will fail to protect” her and her teammates. In 2018, she testified against ex-USA Gymnastics and Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar, who is serving consecutive sentences for child pornography and sexual assault. Raisman, an advocate for sexual assault survivors, also sued USA Gymnastics and the United States Olympic Committee, and has since called for an independent investigation of both organizations.
In her letter, she reassures her younger self of her own strength to get through such a difficult time.
“I would tell her that in our darkest hours, when we feel most vulnerable and alone, that we realize our greatest growth.”
Her mission now is to make the sport safer for athletes.
“As a little girl, I thought what mattered most was making it to the Olympics, but I’ve learned that my love for gymnastics is more important,” she wrote. “It is love that fueled my Olympic dreams, and it is this love that now inspires me to do everything I can to make it safer for the many wonderful people in the sport and all the little 8-year-olds out there who will be watching the gymnasts in Tokyo, dreaming of one day making it to the Olympics themselves…”
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While she will not be competing, in Tokyo Raisman told People in December that she still planned on attending the Olympics to cheer on her teammates.
“I can’t believe the Olympics are already here this summer,” she said. “I’m very excited for that. I plan to be in Tokyo to cheer everyone on. It’s going to be awesome.”
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