Aly Raisman looks on before throwing out a ceremonial first pitch before a Boston Red Sox game against the Kansas City Royals on Aug. 26, 2016 at Fenway Park in Boston.
Aly Raisman, a two-time Olympian and captain of the 2016 U.S. Olympic Women’s Gymnastics Team, has announced that she has her sights set on a third trip to the Olympic Games.
During an interview with Ellen DeGeneres, Raisman shared that she intends to take a year off, then will return to training with a goal of competing at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
A two-time Olympic champion in the women’s team event with the Fierce Five (2012) and Final Five (2016), Raisman also won gold on floor exercise at the London 2012 Olympic Games. She claimed silvers in all-around and floor in Rio and bronze on balance beam in London.
The 22-year-old’s six Olympic medals stand only behind Shannon Miller’s seven among U.S. gymnasts.
“I thought I was in the best shape of my life in 2012, but it’s even better now,” Raisman told DeGeneres. “I’m excited to see what can happen in 2020.”
Raisman is hoping to become the first U.S. women’s gymnast since Dominique Dawes to compete in three consecutive Games. Dawes won team bronze medals in 1992 and 2000 and was part of the “Magnificent Seven” that won team gold at the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games, where she also won a bronze medal on floor exercise. Only two other U.S. women have competed in three Olympic Games: Muriel Grossfeld (1956-64) and Linda Metheny-Mulvihill (1964-72).
