USA Gymnastics: Aly Raisman On Aliya Mustafina, Losing Olympic Medal 'Still Bothers Me'

It's been over a year since USA gymnast Aly Raisman of the Fierce Five took home three Olympic medals, but she is attempting to come back for the 2016 Rio Olympics in part due to one particular gymnast: Aliya Mustafina.

As gymnastics fan remember, Raisman tied with Mustafina for the bronze during the all-around competition, but after a tie-breaking procedure, Mustafina won the bronze over Raisman.

"I tied for third in the all-around and they broke the tie [and lost the bronze medal to Russia's Aliya Mustafina]," said Raisman during an interview at the 2013 World Gymnastics Championships.

"Gymnastics is the only Olympic sport that breaks the tie, so I should have four Olympic medals and I have three, so I think just that idea of...it still bothers me. It's never enough, you can always do more."

And doing more she is.

Now only is the USA gymnastics champion back in the gym training, she also just finished "Dancing with the Stars" earlier this year.

And she is not the only Olympian from Team USA who want to come back. Gabby Douglas and Jordyn Wieber have both expressed interest in trying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Kyla Ross and McKayla Maroney, meanwhile, are already making the climb after competing at the 2013 World Gymnastics Championships.

But as gymnastics fans know, turnover in USA gymnastics is extremely high, and no one has achieved back-to-back Olympic appearances since 2000.

"The turnover is so high," says former Olympic champion Nastia Liukin according to NBC.

"I think it is important to take it one year at a time. It's so hard now to do so when the Olympics has gotten so much more attention, I feel like, in the past few Olympics."

Tags
gymnastics
world news
Join the Discussion

Latest Photo Gallery

Real Time Analytics