Aly Raisman earns spot on US Olympic womens gymnastics team

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Aly Raisman competing in the floor exercise at the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, Oct. 24, 2014. photo/alex livesey-getty images

Jewish-American Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman has been named again to the U.S. women’s Olympics gymnastics team.

Raisman finished third in the Olympic Trials that finished on July 10 in San Jose to capture a spot on the squad that will compete this summer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In 2012, she earned two gold medals at the London Olympics for floor exercise and as part of the team competition. The music for her floor exercise routine was the Israeli folk song “Hava Nagila.”

This year’s team is being touted as the most racially diverse in U.S. history. It includes two African-American gymnasts, Gabby Douglas and Simone Biles; a Latina, Laurie Hernandez; Raisman and Madison Kocian.

Raisman posted a photo of the team on her Twitter feed:

At 22, Raisman is the oldest member of the team, which reportedly has earned her the nickname “Grandma.” Raisman and Douglas were both members of the team that won gold in London.

Following the London Olympics, Raisman took time off from competitive gymnastics to take advantage of her newfound fame, performing on tour with her teammates, competing on “Dancing With The Stars” and being a special guest at the 2013 Maccabiah Games in Israel, the global Jewish sporting event. — jta

JTA

Content distributed by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency news service.