'I surpassed my expectations': How legendary US Olympian Aly Raisman achieved more than she could have ever imagined

While many 30-year-olds may have one-track careers, US gymnast Aly Raisman can add "author and advocate" to a CV already filled with Olympic achievements. The two-time Olympian won six medals as part of the 2012 Team USA "Fierce Five" at the London Games, and the 2016 "Final Five" at Rio de Janeiro, but is just as proud of her work keeping athletes safe as she is of her time on the podium. 

Raisman was one of the victims who suffered abuse at the hands of former Team USA Olympic gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar. She spoke to BBC special correspondent Katty Kay in this new episode of her Olympian-focused interview series, Influential, about life after the case, her cherished Olympic memories and what legacy she hopes will endure.

Back in 2012, Raisman (then aged 18) was tied for fourth place and not expected to medal on the balance beam at the Games in London. She left London the most decorated athlete on the gymnastics team, with three medals. She'd become the first US woman to win gold for the gymnastics floor exercise and Team USA had taken home the women's artistic gymnastics team all-round gold. She'd also won a bronze medal in the balance beam, which still seems to surprise Raisman to this day.

"It was such a special experience because I wasn't expected to medal on beam – so getting that bronze medal was one of my most proud moments," Raisman tells Kay. Even without the "pressure to win", Raisman recalls a fearsome experience. "Competing in that arena… it's so terrifying, the tension in the arena – you could literally hear a bag of chips open, it's so quiet, so nerve-wracking. You could hear the clicking of the camera! I was so proud of myself for handling that pressure."

American athlete Aly Raisman on the difference between competing at age 18 and 22

Raisman tells Kay that her confidence was affected from the stress and pressure, but after a career-changing pep talk from her coach, she was able to block out the noise, focus on the cheers from her teammates, and get into what she calls a "flow state", winning the gold medal on her floor routine. 

"I just had to let go and not think," Raisman tells Kay, remembering that moment. "To this day, it was the best floor routine I've ever done in my entire life. I just felt in a state of 'flow' – which I've never been in before competing. I think because my practice was so stressful… and I was struggling so much, and my confidence wasn't great, letting it go was the best decision I made. I did my first pass on the floor and I just knew the rest of the routine was fine; I felt free and it felt great."

Kay notes that Raisman's smile revealed her happiness to be there, but Raisman reminded her that she also thought it might be the last floor routine of her life at the time and she wanted to do her best for herself, her teammates, her coach, and the country. Yet Raisman kept growing as an athlete and competitor – and as a team leader.

"I was 18 going into London’s 2012 Olympic games; I had just graduated high school," Raisman reminds Kay. "I was such a baby. Going into Rio in 2016, I was 22 years old; I was still so young! But I had been around, so I knew. In London, I was the captain, but still so young. But I felt older in 2016 and my role had shifted in the team. I felt more of that 'mum' role."

Not only did Raisman have to adjust to being the team elder, she faced a lot of change upon returning home to the United States from both London and Rio. Suddenly, she was known around the world; her face was on the covers of magazines.

I wanted to write something that empowers children and adults to speak up, while also acknowledging that it's hard to speak up – Aly Raisman

"It surpassed my expectations – how many people supported us and watched [the Games] and knew us," Raisman admits. "I don't feel like I'll ever get used to [fame]; I'm still navigating it. I went from being in high school… to getting recognised when I go get coffee. I forget people sometimes know who I am! I never imagined that I would have achieved this, still getting recognised [eight years later]. I surpassed my expectations and I'm grateful for that."

Much like Raisman handled mentorship and fame with maturity beyond her years, she wanted to turn her trauma into something that would help people beyond the gymnastics community and use her platform for mental health advocacy. She recently wrote a children's book called From My Head to My Toes, to help young readers understand concepts like consent and bodily autonomy.

"I wanted to write something that empowers children and adults to speak up, while also acknowledging that it's hard to speak up," Raisman says. "I'm 30 years old and it's still hard to speak up. I'm still working on it. But even if [this book] helps one kid be safer and even if it prevents anyone from having to go through what me and my teammates went through, I feel proud of that."

Raisman has also combined her mental health advocacy efforts with her love of fashion and tells Kay that some of the best advice she ever got was from someone she admires in the fashion industry: the shoe designer, Stuart Weitzman. She tells Kay that when the post-Olympics media pressure got to be too much, it was Weitzman who told her something that changed her life.

"The media kept asking if I was coming back for a third Olympics," Raisman explains. "I felt like, 'isn't one [Olympics] enough?' I remember I met with Stuart Weitzman who said to me: 'Don't let the Olympics be the highlight of your life' – and that was one of the best pieces of advice I've ever received. I think about it all the time!"

In fact, these days, the people who tend to approach Raisman rarely comment on her gymnastics career – they usually thank her for the conversations she's started around mental health. To Raisman, gymnastics was a literal springboard to empowering people to take care of themselves and others. Just as she's learned to use her voice to speak up in tough moments, she's also learned to compartmentalise, and tells Kay it's not always easy. 

"So many athletes define their worth by their result," she tells Kay, "But [Weitzman's advice] helped me realise that I can go on to do other great things. Obviously winning medals is really exciting and wonderful, but I do hope when people look back at my career, hopefully they remember that I helped make athletes safer and I encouraged people to prioritise mental health."

-bbc