2016 US Olympic gymnastics team: Exploring their achievements and what they do now
'The Final Five' was the American women's gymnastics team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. It consisted of five elite artistic gymnasts, including Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Laurie Hernandez, Madison Kocian, and Aly Raisman. The quintet bagged the medal by a large margin.
Douglas and Raisman became the only American gymnasts to win back-to-back team gold medals with this historic win. They were also part of the gold-winning US women's team at the 2012 London Olympics.
After the team event, the women also won medals in individual events. Biles won four medals in singles events, while Raisman, Kocian, and Hernandez won silver medals. Biles and Kocian were part of the 2014 World Championship, where the US team won a gold medal.
What are the gymnastics champions doing now?
Gabby Douglas
Gabby Douglas has won numerous medals in her gymnastics career. She has won three gold medals in the Olympics. Having made her debut at the 2012 London Olympics, Gabby claimed gold medals at the London Olympics in all-around and team events and also won gold at the Rio games.
She is the first American gymnast to win gold in individual and team all-around events at the same Olympics.
After her successful Olympic career, Gabby Douglas ventured into the television industry. She is currently away from the limelight and is focused on her health.
Simone Biles
Biles is unarguably one of the most decorated American gymnasts. Having won 25 World Championships, she is tied with Shannon Miller for the record for most Olympic medals (7) by an American gymnast.
Biles performed exceptionally well at the 2016 Rio Olympics, winning five medals, four golds, and one bronze.
Biles then qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, where she won two medals before announcing her withdrawal due to a psychological condition called 'twisties.' Gymnasts have described the twisties as a kind of mental block. The decorated athlete is currently focusing on her well-being away from athletics.
Laurie Hernandez
Laurie Hernandez also made her Olympic debut in 2016 at the Rio Olympics, winning two medals, a gold medal in team events, and a silver in the balance beam.
In 2016, she competed at the Pacific Rim Championship and won a gold medal in team events. She then took a brief break from games, returning in 2018.
Hernandez did not qualify for the 2020 Olympics and missed out on qualification for the upcoming Olympics in 2021 due to a knee injury. She is currently on a hiatus away from gymnastics.
Madison Kocian
Madison Kocian also made her debut at the 2016 Rio Olympics alongside her teammates Simone Biles and Laurie Hernandez. Besides winning a gold medal in the team event, Madison also clinched a silver medal in the uneven bar event.
Kocian won three gold medals in the World Championship, one gold, and one silver in the Pan American Championship. She retired from gymnastics and now works at the Baylor College of Medicine.
Aly Raisman
She served as the captain for 'The Final Five.' Raisman and her teammate Gabby Douglas are the only American gymnasts to win a gold medal in team events at two consecutive Olympics.
Raisman won two gold medals, one bronze at the London Olympics and one gold and two silver at the Rio Olympics.
She won two golds, one silver, and one bronze at the World Championships. She also won three golds and five silvers at the Pacific Rim Championships.
Raisman retired from gymnastics, ventured into the television industry, and released her memoir book Fierce: How Competing for Myself Changed Everything.