Raisman silver service
GYMNASTICS ALY RAISMAN signed off her Olympic Games with a second individual silver medal, this time in the floor routine.
The defending champion scored a 15.500 for her precise tumbling and own arsenal of extremely difficult tumbling skills.
But it wasn’t enough to overhaul fellow American gymnast Simone Biles with Britain’s Amy Tinkler, just 16 years old, winning bronze.
It was Raisman’s third medal in Rio and it could well be the end for the 22-year-old in gymnastics.
And if she does bow out, Raisman, nicknamed Grandma, will become one of the most decorated American gymnasts of all time with six med- als. That leaves her just one behind Shannon Miller. Mihai Brestyan, Raisman’s long-time coach, said: “Aly was the spine of the team in 2012, spine of the team here, the most trusted gymnast.
“A medal is a medal. It doesn’t matter the colour that much.”
Raisman captained the Fierce Five, which won the country’s second ever team gold medal in 2012. In addition to her gold medal on floor, she also earned an individual all-round silver. She helped the team to gold again in Rio, making Raisman and Gabby Douglas the only Americans with back-to-back team golds.
Raisman said: “I knew that the gold was out of the question on Tuesday, so the silver for me genuinely feels like a gold. So I was so happy and so proud.”
Massachusetts-based Raisman took more than a year off before deciding to return for Rio.
At last year’s world championships, she was fourth in qualifying and didn’t make the all-around final.
But the USA team turned to experience and it has reaped its rewards.
Raisman added: “I feel like I’m better than I am in 2012, so I’m very proud of that.”