SportsAsToldByAGirl Spotlight: Laurie Hernandez

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The Final Five was and still is a special group of young ladies. They’re all talented gymnasts with equally bright futures ahead of them, including Laurie Hernandez. At only 16 years old, she accomplished what many gymnasts dream of while still maintaining such a positive and fun outlook on life which has made the world fall in love with her. That’s why Laurie Hernandez is this week’s spotlight!

Her professional career began fairly recently in 2012 but she began doing gymnastics in 2005. At age 12, Hernandez placed 11th in the Junior Division at the U.S. Classic and after that, qualified for the National Classic where she placed 21st. In 2013, she participated in the WOGA Classic where she placed second in the all-around and later in the American Classic, placing first in the floor exercise, second in the all-around and third on the balance beam and vault.

That same year, she was added to the U.S. Junior National Team and returned to the U.S. Classic, placing sixth for the all-around and first in the floor exercise. One of the most exciting moments in 2013 was going to the International Junior Mexican Cup where she and the rest of the US team won gold. The following year was a rough for Hernandez after she fractured her wrist before returning to competition. After returning, she suffered a torn patellar tendon and dislocated kneecap, sidelining her for six months. She returned to gymnastics that November.

2015 was a comeback year for Hernandez. She was named to the U.S. Junior National Team again and dominated all of the competitions she was in. She brought home gold from the 2015 City of Jesolo Trophy, the U.S. Classic, National Championships and  International Junior Japan Meet. Her excellent performances in 2015 would help earn her a spot on the U.S. women’s gymnastics team the following year.

She did not participate in many competitions because she, along with the other Final Final members, were resting for the Olympics. She did earn a bronze medal, silver and gold medal at the City of Jesolo Trophy in March. In April, she competed in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships where she helped the US win gold. In July, she competed in the Olympic trial, officially earning her Olympic spot and placing second behind Biles in the all-around.

As part of the team, she helped win gold in the all-around. Individually, she won silver on the balance beam, placing ahead of Simone Biles. She also became the first athlete, born in the 21st century to win an Olympic medal. She had originally committed to the University of Florida to compete in their gymnastics program before foregoing it to become a professional athlete. Most recently, Hernandez has been in the news because she will be competing on this season of Dancing With The Stars with partner Val Chmerkovskiy.

After totally fangirling over Beyonce at the Video Music Awards, she’s become somewhat of a media sensation lately. She had her own Bob’s Burgers cartoon made, has been invited to events with the rest of the team and threw out the first pitch at a New York Mets game. She really seems to really be enjoying this time in her life. Her career might just be starting, but she already has such a bright future ahead of her and I can’t wait to see what happens with Laurie Hernandez next!