Alexandra Rose Raisman Bio

Alexandra Rose Raisman, born May 25, 1994, is an American retired artistic gymnast. She is also a two-time Olympian. She was the American women's Olympic gymnastics team captain for both the 2012 and 2016 "Fierce Five" U.S. teams. In the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, she took home a gold in the team event with teammates Gabby Douglas and Gabby Douglas the sole Americans with back-to-back team gold medals. Raisman was also awarded silver medals in the individual all around and floor exercise. Raisman won silver medals for the individual all-around in addition to the floor exercise. She also is an Olympic champion twice on the floor exercise (2012, 2015), the 2012 champion of the national team on the balance beam, as well as she has won five medals in the all-around competition at the national championships (silver in 2016, and bronze in 2010, 2012, 2011, and 2015). In 2013, she was inducted into International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Raisman was born on the 25th of May, 1994, in the Boston suburb of Needham, Massachusetts, to Lynn (nee Faber), the former high school gymnast as well as Rick Raisman. She has three younger sisters: Madison, Chloe, and Brett. Raisman is Jewish, and has said, "I take a lot of satisfaction from being able to not only represent the U.S.A and the Jewish community throughout the world. Raisman started gymnastics at the age of 18 months old. She attributes her love of gymnastics to the "Magnificent Seven", an American women's group that won the gold medal at 1996 Summer Olympics. She was trained at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing up to Level 8. She then went to Brestyan's American Gymnastics Club, where she was coached by Silvia Brestyan and Mihai Brestyan. Raisman was a graduate of Needham High School in 2012. She completed her senior year online while training for the Olympics.