Aly Raisman — Olympic Star, Leader, Role Model

Aly Raisman is tough. Aly Raisman is a winner. But more than anything, Aly Raisman is an inspiration.

The reigning Olympic champion on floor exercise, Raisman is at the forefront of the U.S. women gymnastics team competing in Rio de Janeiro this week.

Raisman’s always asking, “What are the little things we can do to make a big difference?”

She and Gabby Douglas are the first U.S. women since 2000 to make a second Olympic team. On Sunday night, Simone Biles, Raisman, and Douglas finished 1-2-3 respectively in the qualifying rounds. All three broke 60 points and were at least 1 point ahead of the fourth-place finisher. Biles and Raisman will move on to the all-around final.

“You know the expectations are high,” Raisman said Sunday night on the NBC broadcast. “We’re there for each other … Hopefully we can make everyone back home proud.”

Team U.S.A. looks poised to win a medal in every single event, with at least one gymnast qualifying on vault, bars, beam, and floor, according to The Huffington Post. The women’s team could win 11 Olympic medals as the week goes on. When they left the floor Sunday, they were nearly 10 points ahead of second-place finishers China.

At 22, Raisman, a three-time Olympic medalist, is said to be the glue of the team, the one who tries to help defray the pressure and keep the focus on confidence. Her teammates call her “Grandma Aly.”

It’s partly because she’s the oldest of The Fierce Five team — which includes Biles, 19, Madison Kocian, 19, Laurie Hernandez, 16, and Douglas, 20. And it’s partly because she likes to take naps. “A lot of the girls nap!” Raisman insisted in an interview with USA Today. “The media thinks I’m the only one.”

USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny says, “Aly cuts through the clutter. She’s the one that’s always looking out for everybody and always looking out for how do we do things a little bit better.”

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Raisman is always looking for perfection, always asking, “What are the little things we can do to make a big difference?'”

Family has played a big role in her outlook and her leadership role — she is the oldest of four children. Her mother, Lynn, a former high school gymnast, started her in “Mommy and Me” gymnastic classes at age two. By 14 she was competing on an elite level.

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Women’s Gymnastics Schedule” source=”http://www.dailymail.com”]August 7 — Team qualifications|August 9 — Team all-around (3-5:15 p.m. ET, airs at 8 p.m. ET)|August 11 — Individual all-around (3-5:10 p.m. ET, airs at 8 p.m. ET)|August 14 — Individual events: vault and uneven bars (1-4 p.m. ET, airs at 7 p.m. ET)|August 15 — Individual event: balance beam (1-3:15 p.m. ET, airs at 8 p.m. ET)|August 16 — Individual event: floor exercise (1-3 p.m. ET, airs at 8 p.m. ET)|August 17 — Gymnastics gala (10-11:30 a.m. ET and 2-3:30 p.m. ET, airs live)|August 21 — Closing ceremony[/lz_bulleted_list]

She was the captain of the United States women’s gymnastics team at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she won gold medals in the team and floor competitions, as well as a bronze medal on the balance beam, making her the most decorated American gymnast at those games.

Taking a break after that, she took on another competition — “Dancing With the Stars” in 2013. She came in fourth; Kellie Pickler won the season.

She then decided she wasn’t done with gymnastics — and now here she is in Rio, leading Team USA.

“Whatever happens, happens,” Raisman said before the games began. “I’m just thinking about being the best I can be for the team first because that’s what comes first.”

She puts the team first — and yet her own performance, on and off the mat, is what put her first.