Navigate to News section

Aly Raisman for the Win

Captain Raisman anchors the U.S. team to gold

by
Adam Chandler
July 31, 2012
Alexandra Raisman of the United States competes in the in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team final on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on July 31, 2012 in London, England.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Alexandra Raisman of the United States competes in the in the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Team final on Day 4 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at North Greenwich Arena on July 31, 2012 in London, England.(Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Call it The Scroll bump, but following our profile of Aly Raisman yesterday, she came up strong again today in the floor exercise portion of the women’s gymnastics team competition, anchoring the U.S. team to a gold medal. It’s the first gymnastics gold for the United States since 1996, a year in which Member-of-Tribe Kerri Strug also won an historic victory.

What this means: Raisman could win two gold medals if she comes up strong in the all-around individual finals on Thursday.

What this also means: The last song heard before the United States won gold at this event was Hava Nagila.

Adam Chandler was previously a staff writer at Tablet. His work has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlantic, Slate, Esquire, New York, and elsewhere. He tweets @allmychandler.