Alexandra Rose Raisman Bio

Alexandra Rose Raisman was born on May 25, 1994. She retired as an American artistic gymnast. She was captain of the 2012 "Fierce Five" as well as the"Fierce Five," and the 2016 "Final Five," U.S. women’s Olympic gymnastics team. She took home a gold team medal during the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Gabby Douglas and Raisman are the only Americans who have won back-to-back gold medals at this competition. Raisman received silver medals for the individual all-around and floor exercise. She is the third most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history, just behind Shannon Miller and Simone Biles, with six Olympic medals.Raisman was also a part of the gold-winning American teams in the 2011 and 2015 World Championships, and the world bronze medalist on floor exercise in 2011. She is also the two-time champion of the national championships of floor exercise (2012,2015), the 2012 champion national of balance beam, and five-time medalist at the national championships for all-around (silver in 2016, and silver in 2011, 2012 (2012), and in 2013 and 2015). In 2013 she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Raisman was born May 25 1994 in Needham, Massachusetts to Lynn Faber (nee Faber), who was a former high-school gymnast as was Rick Raisman. She has three younger siblings: Brett, Chloe, and Madison. Raisman is Jewish and has stated that "I take a lot off being able not only to represent the U.S.A but as well the Jewish Community everywhere." Raisman started gymnastics when she was 18 months old. She attributes her love for gymnastics to the "Magnificent Seven", an American women's team that won the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics. The athlete trained at Exxcel Gymnastics and Climbing up to Level 8 before she was transferred to Brestyan's American Gymnastics Club, where she was instructed by Silvia Brestyan and Mihai Brestyan. Raisman graduated from Needham High School in 2012 after finishing her senior year through online classes while training to compete in the Olympics.